Cape Town - Mobile network Cell C has welcomed the ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which rejected complaints on an advert for the mobile operator.
The ASA rejected complaints against a Cell C ad that showed a dog humping a man. The ad tried to communicate how consumers are being ripped off by the likes of petrol price hikes and rising food costs.
Watch the ad here:
"We are pleased with the ruling from the ASA," Karin Fourie, Cell C executive head of Communications told Fin24.
The ASA said that the advert used humour to convey the feeling of ordinary people being taken advantage of and children would not necessarily see the link between this and the humping dog.
"The protagonist 'Everyman' finds this irritating dog wherever he goes. The message of the commercial is clear that while others take advantage of consumers, Cell C won't. This is what we see as the dog trots away when he sees 'Everyman' heading into a Cell C outlet," the ASA wrote in its judgement.
Offence
Cell C's ad is, according to the ASA, not offensive because it found the behaviour depicted in the advert "common in dogs, and parents’ discomfort to discuss the facts of life should not be a ground for ruling against something that is normal".
The ad produced by FCB Joburg was also found not to contravene Clause 18 of Section II which covers the use of animals in advertising. The producers submitted a film welfare compliance certificate and argued that no actual dog was used for the "humping" scenes.
The ASA also rejected the complaints that the advert caused offence. In terms of this judgement the agency found that a "reasonable person" would not confuse the ad with reality.
"While the Directorate accepts that some people might find the commercial crass, and the notion of a dog mounting a man’s leg as crude and in poor taste, it is satisfied that the obvious metaphor would not be lost on the average consumer," said the ASA.
The advert had attracted more than 100 complaints and the ASA, citing similar rulings in the past, said that "numerous complaints were received, and continue to be received, in a short period of time from the Christian public who constitute the majority faith in South Africa".
Fourie said that while the Cell C received some criticism from conservative groups, there was also positive feedback for the advert.
"I don't believe it's from one religious quarter only, and we also got positive feedback for the ad."
- Follow Duncan on Twitter