Tom Daley Phone Ad Gets Banned
A commercial staring Tom Daley is being banned for false advertising, and no its not because of whatever Daley may be hiding under his very tight speedo.
Daley became the celebrity sponsor for phone company HTC, but we’re hoping his contract had him getting paid up-front and not gradually through advertisement royalties. Why’s that? Because it’s not likely we’ll see the ad playing for very much longer.
The problem is that the Advertising Standards Authority in the United Kingdom says that the phone in the commercial isn’t what customers are getting in stores.
You see, in the video, shared below, Daley holds onto the new HTC U11 while hanging out by the diving board. Then, Daley gets the idea to dive down into the water while still holding onto the device. Then, he decides to do it again with the still working phone.
While the video paints a nice image about the phone, many were quick to point out that it also creates the idea that the phone can handle way more water than it actually can.
More: Tom Daley Attacked By Catholic Group for “Depriving” Baby of Mom
“The HTC Europe company was quick to point out that the 3 feet or 1 meter depth was not passed since the Olympic diver did not go that far into the water, landing feet first and therefore slowing him down before going too deep.”
That said, the ASA didn’t see it that way. The ASA told HTC that the commercial was misleading and presented the message that the phone could deal with heavy amounts of water (and chlorine water at that).
Again, this means trouble for the commercial as it can’t play on television without the ASA’s permission. But hey, you’ll at least be able to check out the video online through sites like this.
Silver linings.
h/t: Instinct Magazine
