Virgin Mobile has ended its advertising campaign that caused an uproar among members of the Christian community.
"The campaign has come to an end. It has not been pulled due to pressure or anything of the sort. It was never our intention to cause any offence to anyone," says Nicholas Maweni, spokesman for Virgin Mobile.
Complaints, made with the Advertising Standards Authority of SA (ASA), said the ad makes a mockery of the Christian faith and offensively portrays the concept of heaven by depicting angels as seductively clad women with wings.
Virgin`s lawyer managed to successfully argue the advertisement was presented in a light-hearted and humorous manner and was not intended as an accurate portrayal of the beliefs of any religion or concept of heaven.
Furthermore, the advertisement portrays the main character`s conception of utopia. The lawyers added the number of complaints received (18) was miniscule compared to the total number of Christian people residing in SA.
The ASA ruled the commercial did not contravene clause 3.4 of Section 2 of the code which states advertising shall not discriminate unless such discrimination is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.
"We are heartened and reassured by the support we have received from the public in general and the ASA," concludes Maweni.
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