An ad for a mobile phone retailer in which the business claimed to be
‘pro-choice’ has run afoul of the advertising watchdog, which has
ordered the company not to run the ad in future.The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland said it received more than 40 complaints regarding two adverts by the Carphone Warehouse, one featuring a picture of a denim jacket with a badge pinned beneath the collar that read: “We’re pro-choice.”
The second featured a picture of a baby with the caption “what makes a family?”, with the options “Mum & Mum, Mum & Dad, Dad & Dad”, and the slogan “we’re pro-choice”. Both adverts featured the slogan: “The only place you get to choose your network, phone, and plan.”
A third ad with a pro-choice slogan featured a picture of a person with short hair and glasses, and the caption: “What do you see?’ with the options ‘Guy’, ‘Girl’, and ‘Me’.”
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The ASAI said the complainants found the ads to be “highly offensive”
in light of the ongoing debate around the eighth amendment and that it
“trivialised a very sensitive topic”, while the third advert was said to
be “extremely offensive to transgender people”.Complaints against all three ads were upheld.