Reebok ditches ad after gun glorification outcry

by Mark Sweney, Marketing 20-Apr-05, 14:03

Reebok has pulled a controversial ad starring 50 Cent after it was condemned for glorifying guns and violence.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 55 complaints about the ad, which showed the rapper counting to nine in reference to the number of times he has been shot. The charity Disarm Trust criticised it for being 'irresponsible and despicable' and 'preying on young, impressionable black males' (Marketing, 16 March).

In a statement, a Reebok spokeswoman said: 'When the 50 Cent television ad began to air, a small number of the general public found it offensive. Last week Reebok took the decision to immediately and indefinitely stop broadcasting the 50 Cent spot.'

Reebok's £12m integrated campaign, which uses the strapline 'I am what I am', launched in the UK in March. It includes a press execution showing 50 Cent alongside police fingerprint records and the words: 'Where I am from, there is no plan B. So, take advantage of today because tomorrow is not promised'.

The activity, developed by New York agency mcgarrybowen, represents a doubling of media spend for Reebok UK, putting the brand on an equal footing with Adidas and Nike for the first time.

50 Cent has also been criticised for his supposed feud with rival rapper The Game. The quarrel, which involved bullets being fired in a recording studio, has been attacked as a marketing stunt to increase sales of the rapper's latest album, The Massacre.

Rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were killed in the 90s due to gang rivalry.