Vodafone suspends all ads over ban of Abla Fahita campaign

CAIRO – 23 December 2017: Vodafone Egypt pulled all its adverts from media outlets and TV channels on Friday following the Supreme Media Council’s move to end the broadcasting of the company’s latest “controversial” campaign.

Vodafone said in a statement published Friday on Facebook that the company was caught off guard by the “surprising” ban of its latest campaign, which featured the popular puppet “Abla Fahita”, confirming that the company has not been officially notified with this decision.

The statement said that the company has proceeded with editing the previous form of the advert after its meeting with the Consumer Protection Agency; it further concurred that the company respects the values of the Egyptian society.

“Vodafone revealed that it has decided to suspend all advertising campaigns in all media and channels, until we receive official clarification regarding this matter,” read the statement.

A few days earlier, the Supreme Media Council banned Vodafone’s Abla Fahita advert from appearing, citing that the commercial advertisement contains inappropriate phrases and scenes that violate public taste and values.