ASA rejects complaints about Barnardo`s advertisements

The advertising watchdog has rejected complains about
children’s charity Barnardo’s latest advertising
campaign which features graphic images of adults who have killed
themselves, writes Gideon Burrows.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated a number
of complaints from people whose relatives died in similar
circumstances to those depicted, but accepted evidence from the
charity that the adverts “put across the full seriousness of the
reality of the problems it was tackling.”

The adverts aimed to highlight the latest results of poverty and
abuse suffered during childhood.

A Barnardo’s spokesperson said the charity had temporarily
withdrawn one advert, which featured a man hanged in a garage, out
of sensitivity to recent similar cases in the farming
community.

Director of marketing at the charity, Andrew Nebel said he was
delighted with the ASA ruling.

“We recognise that the new ads are very powerful and present
challenging, even difficult images. However, the aim is not to
sensationalise, but to depict the tough reality of issues that are
facing today’s children,” he said.