Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Europe) Ltd 2 Kensington Square London W8 5RB	Media: Poster Agency: tbWA Sector: Leisure Complaints upheld in last 12 reports: 1 Complaints from: Nationwide (50)
Complaint: Objections to a poster, for a computer game, that featured a white bath-tub filled with blood that had spilled onto the floor, above the words "RESIDENT EVIL". which was the title of the game. The complainants objected that the advertisement was shocking and offensive. (2.2, 5.1)	Adjudication: Complaints upheld. The advertisers said the advertisement was meant to reflect the gory and theatrical nature of the game. They believed they had used an approach that would not offend. Although the poster campaign had finished, the advertisers planned to run the advertisement in men’s magazines. The Authority considered that the poster went beyond the bounds of acceptability for a poster in its graphic depiction of a macabre image. It asked the advertisers not to repeat the poster but concluded that the advertisement could be acceptable in tightly-targeted publications with controversial editorial styles.
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