ASA Adjudication on Calzados Boreal SL

Ad

An ad for 'Blade' climbing shoes, in Climb magazine, was headlined "REALITY ... OR NOT?" and featured a young woman crouching, holding a climbing shoe in her right hand. It appeared that she had used the shoe to cut a deep gash in her leg from her knee to her shin; blood could be seen seeping from the wound.

Issue

1. Two complainants challenged whether the ad was offensive and irresponsible, because they believed it depicted self-harm.  

2. One complainant, who considered the image shocking, challenged whether Calzados Boreal (Boreal) had used the image merely to attract attention.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

1. & 2. Boreal said the ad was not intended to depict self-harm, nor was it intended to show that the female had deliberately used the shoe to cut herself.  Rather, they had sought to demonstrate how sharp and precise the product was for the purposes of technical rock climbing.  The ad used the "Blade" name to highlight that the contact edges of the shoes were more like that of a surgical implement, not simply to attract attention.

They apologised for any distress caused and confirmed that they would not use the ad, or a similar approach, again.  

Climb magazine said they apologised for any offence caused and said, on reflection, they could appreciate the complainants' concerns.  They told us they received one complaint from a reader.

Assessment

1. Upheld

The ASA considered that it would not have been immediately obvious to readers that the intention of the ad was to demonstrate the precision of the shoe for technical rock climbing; we noted the young woman was not depicted in a climbing environment.  She was shown cutting a deep gash in her leg and we therefore considered that the image could lead some readers to infer that it depicted self-harm.  We noted the headline stated "REALITY ...OR NOT" but considered that that did not detract from the image or overall impression of the ad.  Although, surreal in part, the image was not animated or abstract; the wound looked realistic and appeared deep with blood seen seeping from it.  We considered that the image of a young woman apparently self-harming was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence to some readers of Climb magazine.

On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility) and 5.1 (Taste and decency).

2. Upheld

We noted Boreal's comment that they had not purposely set out to shock readers.  We were concerned about the approach used and considered that they could have demonstrated the capabilities of the shoe differently.  We concluded that they had used a shocking image to attract attention without good reason.

On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clause 9.1 (Fear and distress).

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)