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What Would Jesus Sell?

By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

The group at Britain's Advertising Standards Authority is quickly becoming the best group to watch in the advertising industry. The ASA's incredibly politically correct attitude and seemingly absent sense of humor makes just about everything they do eye-opening.

This time, the ASA has banned a Phones 4 U advertisement that depicts Jesus winking above the tagline "Miraculous deals on Samsung Galaxy Android phones." The watchdog said that the advertisement was disrespectful, and that it looked like the company "appeared to mock Christian values."

After receiving a number of complaints, the ad was pulled and letters of apology were sent out to those who were offended. One must have to wonder about the precedent the ASA (and many other watchdogs) seem to be setting. Shouldn't all ads depicting religious deities be deemed offensive then?

For example, Hebrew National:

"We answer to an higher authority." Should that be considered tasteless? (no pun intended). Surely not all of the Hebrew faith find that tongue-in-cheek.

And what about Santa Claus in advertisements? Or the Easter bunny? Clearly these are ads reflecting Christian values. Where are the ads showcasing other faiths? Or, if there is an ad showing Ol' Saint Nick in poor form, will that ad be banned by the holier-than-thou ASA?

The argument is not whether or not religious figures should be allowed in the advertising world, but rather what is considered offensive and allowable for all faiths. Creating standards for Jesus or the Prophet is fine, as long as those same standards are applied to Buddha, Shiva, Scientology, and Mormonism. As advertising reflects the norms of society, the watchdogs that be cannot pick favorites. Either let them all run wild, or protect every single one of them.

Looking forward to see what the ASA does next.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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