Samsung cleared by UK watchdog over ad showing woman running at 2am

theguardian.com:

A Samsung ad featuring a woman running alone at 2am has avoided a ban by the UK advertising watchdog, despite complaints that it was irresponsible after a spate of late-night attacks on women.

The TV and cinema ad for Samsung products including a smartwatch featured a woman getting up at 2am and going for a run through a large city while wearing wireless earbuds. A voiceover encouraged the idea of running at unusual hours, stating: “Sleep at night. Run faster. Push harder. Follow the herd. Not for me. I run on a different schedule. Mine.”

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 27 complaints from viewers who felt that in light of a number of recent high-profile cases where women had been attacked in similar circumstances the ad was harmful and irresponsible for encouraging unsafe behaviour.

In April, women’s safety group Reclaim These Streets described the campaign as “beyond unrealistic” in light of the death of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher from Ireland who was attacked after she went for a run in January. Her death prompted vigils and led to the #SheWasOnARun movement as women shared stories about being harassed while out running.

Samsung Electronics acknowledged the ad “might have been perceived as insensitive by some viewers” and apologised, saying it would not be broadcast again in the UK.

The South Korean electronics firm asked the ASA to investigate whether the ads were in breach of the UK marketing code.

“The ads were not intended to encourage women to go running at night,” the company said. “They were intended to celebrate individuality and demonstrate the use of Samsung products when exercising, whatever the time of day.”

The company said the unsafe element was the risk of “predatory individuals” –