Watchdog says yes to gnome ad

An advertising watchdog has cleared an Ikea advert showing garden gnomes dying horribly despite dozens of complaints from viewers.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th May 2013, 01:06 BST

The homeware giant’s Say No To Gnomes campaign features a family updating the look of their garden with new products, only to find the upset gnomes launching a revenge attack. The couple fight back and the ad finishes with the tagline: “Make more of your garden. Say no to gnomes.”

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it received nearly 50 complaints that the ad was offensive, unsuitable for children, frightening, violent and encouraged emulation and anti-social behaviour.

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The ASA said: “While we appreciated that the ad would not be to everyone’s taste, we thought it was clearly fanciful and light-hearted. We also didn’t share the view that it would encourage or condone violence or anti-social behaviour and was unlikely to upset children.”

Ikea UK confirmed that no gnomes were harmed.

Related topics:Ikea