American ad agency apologies for 'bloody' Malala mattress ad for Kurl-on

An American ad agency has apologised for an advertisement showing a cartoon of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai being shot in the face.

The ad, made for Indian mattress company Kurl-on, shows the girl holding up her hands and then being shot in the head from point-blank range.

According to stuff.co.nz, the girl tumbles through the air before landing on a Kurl-on mattress, above the slogan 'bounce back'.

The character moves back up the page and is shown in various stages of recovery and receives an award in the end.

Agency Ogilvy and Mather first defended the ad, calling it a tribute, but later issued a statement apologising.

Senior partner Rachel Ufer said that the company deeply regretted the ad and wanted to apologise to Malala and her family.

Ufer added that they were investigating how the agency's standards were compromised and will take whatever corrective action is necessary.

According to the report, outrage over the ad was quick on social media and within the industry. Canadian executive Tom Megginson wrote on social media that 14-year-olds getting shot in the face by terrorists are appropriate content for mattress ads now?

Megginson added that he was ashamed to be in the same industry as these ad people.