More4's Russian great bear ad bloody but not bowed
LONDON - An ad campaign for Channel 4 digital channel More4's 'State of Russia' season, which featured a picture of a bear lying in the snow surrounded by traps, one of which was covered in blood, picked up 32 complaints and was described as shocking, offensive, and gratuitously violent.
However, despite the strong nature of the complaints the Advertising Standards Authority has not censured the campaign, which was promoting a documentary looking at the future of Russia.
The ads, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph, The Times and the Mail on Sunday among others, also ran online where a series of images, including a trail of blood in the snow, a steel trap covered in blood and a close up of a bear's head covered in blood, were featured
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The accompanying text read: "Could this be the death of a nation? The life expectancy of a Russian man is 56. Abortions outnumber live births. By 2050, the population could have halved; is it too late for Russia?"
Complainants said the ads were shocking, offensive and gratuitously violent and could be distressing to children. More4 replied that the striking imagery was justified by the subject matter.
More4 used two trained bears in creating the ad, but assured the watchdog and the publications where the ad appeared that the American Humane Association was present at the shoot and no animals were harmed.
Special effects, such as the blood and the traps, were added at the post-production stage.
The complaints were noted by the advertising watchdog and it said it was satisfied the ads were unlikely to cause widespread or serious offence and that the "great bear" metaphor would be recognised and understood be the 35-year-old and older target audience.
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More4: ad not banned
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