A poster promoting famous pop star Demi Lovato’s most recent album has been banned in the UK by Britain’s advertising regulator for being ‘likely to cause serious offence to Christians’.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) launched an investigation into the poster, which was seen at multiple sites across London in August, after receiving complaints from four members of the public.
The poster featured an image of the album cover under the headline “HOLY FVCK,” which is also the name of the album. The image showed Lovato sprawled across a large cushioned crucifix in a leather bondage-style outfit.
Under the UK’s code for non-broadcast advertising, ads must be prepared with a “sense of responsibility” and must not contain anything likely to cause serious or widespread offense.
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According to the report published by the ASA, the complainants “challenged whether the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence,” while some also suggested it was “irresponsibly placed” where children could see it.
The watchdog investigated and upheld both aspects of the complaints, finding that both the language and the imagery used were likely to cause serious offense. Lovato’s eighth studio album, which was released in August, deals with some difficult issues, including drug and alcohol addiction.
