The Independent Television Commission (ITC) was inundated with complaints this weekend about the latest Levi’s advertisement to grace the airwaves. The ad, which prompted over 200 complaints, features Kevin the hamster, who’s exercise wheel breaks, and Kevin eventually dies of boredom – the final shot shows his dead, stiff body being prodded with a pencil through the bars of the cage.
According to the ITC, the majority of complainants were concerned that the advert – produced by Bartle Bogle Hegarty advertising agency – was in bad taste and irrelevant to the product. There was also concern that the clip was upsetting to children. The ITC was surprised at the amount and rapidity of the complaints received, and is in the process of determining the appropriate action.
The advert is no longer on the airwaves, but according to Levis it has not been pulled, but was intended to be broadcast over the weekend only. Better known for its more glamourous commercials featuring attractive models, the clothes manufacturers claim that their new series of ads aims to highlight different forms of originality. The concept has proved itself to be a little too tangential for most.
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