Watchdog received almost 100 complaints that Phones4U advert 'mocked and belittled' the Christian faith

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The advertising watchdog has banned a mobile phone ad featuring an image of Jesus Christ after receiving almost 100 complaints that it "mocked and belittled" the Christian faith.

Phones4U ran a national press campaign featuring a cartoon-like image of Jesus Christ giving a thumbs up and promoting "miraculous" deals on Samsung Android phones at Easter.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 98 complaints that the ads – two versions ran in national press – were offensive and the use of the term "miraculous", especially during Easter, was disrespectful to the Christian faith.

Phones4U, which is known for its cheeky advertising, said it had aimed to create a "light-hearted, positive and contemporary image of Christianity relevant to the Easter weekend".

The ASA said the imagery and text of the ads "gave the impression that they were mocking and belittling core Christian beliefs".

It added that they were "disrespectful" to the Christian faith and were likely to cause serious offence. The ASA banned the ads from running.

Phones4U said in hindsight it understood the reaction and regretted any offence caused.

The company, which had chosen to withdraw the ads following direct complaints from the public, said it had no plans to run any similar campaigns.

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