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In 2014, a U.K Based Smartphone Company, KAZAM came out with the slimmest smartphone KAZAM Tornado 348 that came with a 5.5 mm slim body but as they say, fame is not for everyone.

The company ruined its achievements by promoting it through a downright sexist ad that did nothing but objectify women. Needless to day, the ad has now been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).


The Brand KAZAM, only had one reason to fame, and it seems like they have decided to eliminate that one reason too.

The advertisement for the phone features a woman, who is barely-clad and has been shot in various sexy poses. Overall, it’s a sultry ad that goes easy on the eyes. Only at the very end, when she picks up the phone from her shirt pocket and starts speaking does it occur to the viewer that they are promoting a smartphone.

Take a look at the spot here:

The Agency behind this “genius” piece of work is Ogilvy & Mather. What have they been trying to imply is the question which has been raised by all the complaints lodged. What exactly is the logic behind the World’s Slimmest Smartphone being introduced with a sexy, almost naked woman?

There is no relevance or connection to the product built through the entire one-minute spot. It may be entertaining or attractive, but at what cost to the brand? The Advert is sexist and objectifies women in no less offensive a way than Bollywood item numbers do, with their raunchy and crude lyrics.

There were 8 complaints lodged against the Ad which led to the ASA deciding to ban it from being broadcasted on mainstream television.

It is clear that KAZAM is not doing its company or the brand any favors through this particular sequence. The Company states that they had played on the idea of the product being so slim that it was not visible to the eye in the shirt-pocket until the phone started ringing. They have justified further that the model was dressing and not undressing. They consider that such slightly suggestive scenes are a common element in U.K.’s advertising.

The ad has breached the BCAP Code Rule: 4.2 (Harm and Offence) and is considered “likely to cause serious offense to some viewers”.