What's happened
The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints about outdoor posters and underground ads for Warner Bros’ The Mummy, finding imagery of a mummified young girl likely to distress viewers, including children. TV and streaming ads with post-7:30pm restrictions were not upheld. The rulings stem from complaints about posters that depicted a realistic dead-child appearance.
What's behind the headline?
Critical Analysis
- The ASA’s decision underscores a sharp tension between marketing risk and creative freedom in horror advertising. The watchdog highlights how realism in image can cross into distress for younger viewers, even when not explicitly graphic.
- This case reveals potential reputational and financial consequences for studios when posters reach untargeted spaces such as a nursery-adjacent billboard and the Underground.
- The decision could shape future placements, with broadcasters and advertisers defaulting to tighter restrictions or alternative imagery to avoid backlash.
- Viewers should expect greater scrutiny of outdoor campaigns, especially where imagery features vulnerable subjects. In this context, the next steps involve advertisers revisiting visual concepts and scheduling windows to minimize harm while preserving promotional impact.
How we got here
The complaints center on promotional imagery used for The Mummy, with the ASA noting visuals resembling a dead child and the potential reach to wide audiences, including children. Warner Bros contends the ads were responsibly designed and impressionistic rather than graphic, and were cleared for display via TfL's partner Global.
Our analysis
- Independent reports that the ASA upheld complaints about outdoor and Underground posters for Warner Bros’ The Mummy, with emphasis on the image of a dead child and visibility near a nursery. - BBC Business coverage confirms similar findings and notes the TV/ad restrictions applied by Clearcast. - Both sources indicate that complaints about They Will Kill You posters were not upheld due to their stylised, fictional nature.
Go deeper
- Will Warner Bros revise poster visuals or move campaigns to safer spaces?
- Are broadcasters tightening pre-approval rules for horror campaigns?
- What alternatives exist for promoting frightful films without distressing audiences?
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