The ad by the Christian Party featured the headline: "There definitely is a god. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life" and ran last month alongside two other pro-Christian campaigns, which also drew criticism from the public.
Despite attracting 1,045 complaints, around ten times the number received for the atheist ad, the advertising watchdog has declined to investigate The Christian party ads. The ASA said the poster was electioneering and fell outside its remit.
The two other pro-Christian campaigns created in response to the atheist campaign were run by the Trinitarian Bible Society and the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Trinitarian Bible Society's £35,000 campaign bore the headline: "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God". The Russian Orthodox Church also ran a campaign featuring the headline: "There is a God, BELIEVE. Don’t worry and enjoy your life."
According to the ASA, The Trinitarian Society drew 191 complaints while the Russian Orthodox Church drew 53. The ASA said the complaints for all three campaigns were a mirror image of those caused by the atheist campaign.
An ASA spokesman said greater coverage of the Christian Party's campaign, rather than the execution, was responsible for it receiving a bigger response.
The atheist campaign, which was organised by the British Humanist Association, ran last year on 800 bus sides and 1000 tube cards. The ad's headline ran: "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
More than 100 complaints were received by the ASA about the campaign. But it declined to investigate as the question of whether God exists is a matter of subjective opinion.
Comments
this is getting really tedious - why don't they all just bugger off? Believe what you want and let others do the same \(for chrissakes)
Well said Ed, I keep my beliefs to myself and think others should too \(both sides of this ongoing thing), would solve a fair few problems in the world!
Ed - why shouldn't the god botherers sell their wares to the great unwashed? Isn't it just the same as P&G flogging nappies or washing powder? At the end of the day the choice is your's: ignore or buy.
Andrea - 12/03/2009
Seriously, what's the point? If anyone can design an ad campaign that turns atheists in to God loving/fearing church goers, I'll eat my hat.
How is the existence of God a 'matter of subjective opinion'?
And if anyone can design an ad campaign that turns Christians to atheists I'll eat Andrea's hat to
If the Christian Ad was really good we could throw it to the Lions jury...
Very good Julian. So this is where religion is at nowadays - catfights on buses. I don't believe in God, explain the dinosaurs! Who complains about adverts? They are the people who need to be persecuted!
Maybe God is a Dinosaur. I wonder which one she could be.
Hmm, seems to me that Advertising Standards Authority is failing terribly in their remit and highly selective about the cases they take on board. Only this month they banned the Oil of Ulay Ad due to unsubstantaited claims in terms of effectiveness i.e. not proved to work ~ Consequently shouldn't the God Botherers be asked to provide proof for the statement - "There definitely is a god." ............. it would be quite an interesting tribunal I'm sure. At least in the Carlsberg tradition the Atheists inserted the word Probably !
FP - 12/03/2009
None of this is very adland, is it? Where are the snappy lines, the word play, the wit? Where is the unique selling point, the promotional offer, the call to action beyond ... er ... well ... do nothing? This is just tactical knocking copy, and dull at that. For me, this should have been a cinema campaign at least ... why bus sides people? Let's just hope no deities are asked to judge D&AD this year.
Your comments FP reminded me of a campaign that ran here in Auckland, New Zealand a few years ago which was perhaps a bit more creative. \(originally from the States)
Billboards were posted in prominent positions around the city;
"Every day I get more prayer requests for carparks than anything else. You people have to start thinking bigger. – God."
"I miss how you used to talk to me when you were a kid. – God."
"I don't mind if you yell at me, at least we're talking" – God."
"I was just thinking about you", -God
"I love everyone, even Christians" -God
"Well, you did ask for a sign". -God
John - excellent point re. Carlsberg. My issue with this particular campaign was that the previous ASA ruling re. the atheist ad stated that it must include the word "probably" in order to be allowed to run. So why was the same standard not applied here? The letter I received back following my \(incredibly tongue in cheek) "complaint" stated that since The Christian Party is political, they can essentially advertise what they want, and aren't bound by the same rules. Any opinions on this? Personally, i'm not impressed.
Comments
Ed Kemp - 12/03/2009
this is getting really tedious - why don't they all just bugger off? Believe what you want and let others do the same \(for chrissakes)
Rovers Return - 12/03/2009
Well said Ed, I keep my beliefs to myself and think others should too \(both sides of this ongoing thing), would solve a fair few problems in the world!
Steve Twidell - 12/03/2009
Ed - why shouldn't the god botherers sell their wares to the great unwashed? Isn't it just the same as P&G flogging nappies or washing powder? At the end of the day the choice is your's: ignore or buy.
Andrea - 12/03/2009
Seriously, what's the point? If anyone can design an ad campaign that turns atheists in to God loving/fearing church goers, I'll eat my hat.
Ed Kemp - 12/03/2009
How is the existence of God a 'matter of subjective opinion'?
Michael Coxon - 12/03/2009
And if anyone can design an ad campaign that turns Christians to atheists I'll eat Andrea's hat to
Julian Wakeley - 12/03/2009
If the Christian Ad was really good we could throw it to the Lions jury...
David Bowie - 12/03/2009
Very good Julian. So this is where religion is at nowadays - catfights on buses. I don't believe in God, explain the dinosaurs! Who complains about adverts? They are the people who need to be persecuted!
Alex Goldberg - 12/03/2009
Maybe God is a Dinosaur. I wonder which one she could be.
John Caldwell - 12/03/2009
Hmm, seems to me that Advertising Standards Authority is failing terribly in their remit and highly selective about the cases they take on board. Only this month they banned the Oil of Ulay Ad due to unsubstantaited claims in terms of effectiveness i.e. not proved to work ~ Consequently shouldn't the God Botherers be asked to provide proof for the statement - "There definitely is a god." ............. it would be quite an interesting tribunal I'm sure. At least in the Carlsberg tradition the Atheists inserted the word Probably !
FP - 12/03/2009
None of this is very adland, is it? Where are the snappy lines, the word play, the wit? Where is the unique selling point, the promotional offer, the call to action beyond ... er ... well ... do nothing? This is just tactical knocking copy, and dull at that. For me, this should have been a cinema campaign at least ... why bus sides people? Let's just hope no deities are asked to judge D&AD this year.
Julie Bramley - 13/03/2009
Your comments FP reminded me of a campaign that ran here in Auckland, New Zealand a few years ago which was perhaps a bit more creative. \(originally from the States) Billboards were posted in prominent positions around the city; "Every day I get more prayer requests for carparks than anything else. You people have to start thinking bigger. – God." "I miss how you used to talk to me when you were a kid. – God." "I don't mind if you yell at me, at least we're talking" – God." "I was just thinking about you", -God "I love everyone, even Christians" -God "Well, you did ask for a sign". -God
William Howard - 13/03/2009
John - excellent point re. Carlsberg. My issue with this particular campaign was that the previous ASA ruling re. the atheist ad stated that it must include the word "probably" in order to be allowed to run. So why was the same standard not applied here? The letter I received back following my \(incredibly tongue in cheek) "complaint" stated that since The Christian Party is political, they can essentially advertise what they want, and aren't bound by the same rules. Any opinions on this? Personally, i'm not impressed.