A ruling by the Advertising Authority of SA (ASA) has dismissed complaints from offended Christians against Virgin Mobile`s controversial television heaven advert, according to a report.
The television advert shows a man (Jack) suffering a heart attack because of his high cellphone bill. Jack then ascends to "heaven" where there are scantily-clad female angels carrying beer and washing sports cars, the report says.
Although the number of complaints was fairly high, according to ASA, the ad makes no reference to a specific religion or belief system.
"We have received in excess of 200 complaints thus far," explained Gail Schimmel, head of legal and regulatory affairs at the ASA. "Since the ruling we have received many angry e-mails and I expect them to continue."
Attorneys Adams & Adams, on behalf of Virgin Mobile, responded to the complaint by saying: "The commercial in question is presented in a light-hearted and humorous manner, and is clearly not intended as an accurate portrayal of the beliefs of any particular religion, or concept of heaven."
According to the ASA ruling: "The images of heaven appear to be Jack`s fantasy of what heaven looks like. It contains only him, a gatekeeper, attractive 'angels` serving drinks and doing chores, beer, and sports cars. It is a secular, non-denominational heaven, rather than clearly a Christian heaven."
Says Schimmel: "We believe the best decision has been taken. We have looked carefully at the content of the ad and it makes no reference to a specific religion, as many of the complaints claim."
Furthermore, the directorate acknowledges, of the numerous complaints received, many matched almost identically to others, which can be indicative of an orchestrated complaint.
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