Print ad banned for glamorising gun violence

An advert for Fly53 that appeared in NME magazine has been banned over complaints that it promoted gun violence.

Marketing news website Brand Republic reports that the clothing brand’s advert featured a man holding a gun to the head of another in a darkened room. This content inspired one complaint and prompted Fly53 to withdraw the image from advertisements in both NME magazine and other print media.

The complainant criticised the advert for its depiction of gun crime. They believed that it was offensive, irresponsible, glamourised violence and was unsuitable for display in a music magazine with a wide audience. This criticism was upheld by the self-regulatory organisation of UK advertising, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The ASA banned the advert for glamorising real violence, noting that the man seemed to be frightened and suffering - and its content was inappropriate for a clothing brand. Brand Republic reports that a spokesperson said: “Although the image resembled a scene from a film, we noted the ad was for a clothing brand, and not, for example, a film with violent scenes, which made it more likely that its portrayal of violence would be seen as gratuitous.”

Fly53 did not contest the complaint and withdrew the ad ahead of the ASA’s statements.

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