Telecom's swift withdrawal of its Backing Black abstinence campaign should not harm its long-term image, a branding expert says.

The company has abruptly pulled the campaign, which encouraged fans to forego sex during the Rugby World Cup, after a public backlash when details of it were leaked on Wednesday.

The campaign, fronted by former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick, was to be launched this Sunday.

Telecom's retail chief executive Alan Gourdie said the campaign was designed with the best of intentions, "but we got it wrong".

"No excuses. We caused offence to some people, and for that we apologise.

"We listened to your views, and we acted quickly to change our game plan." A Telecom spokesman refused to answer questions about what would now happen to thousands of black abstinence rings designed for the campaign.

"I haven't got a clue – I hardly think it's the biggest issue in the world right now."

Professor Malcolm Wright, head of Massey University's School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, said Telecom's brand was unlikely to be harmed long-term, despite the vitriol from some members of the public.

"They faced up to the fact that they've made a mistake, so I think that's an extremely good move by Telecom. It'll affect them for a wee while but consumers are pretty forgetful."

Telecom's response was in direct contrast to adidas' reaction to complaints about the retail price of its new All Black jerseys – which cost $220 in shops, compared with less than $100 online.

"Adidas stood their ground and things got worse and worse and worse for them," Dr Wright said.

Asked in South Africa last night if he was surprised to see the Telecom campaign canned, All Blacks coach Graham Henry said: "I think I should abstain from talking about that.

"All I can say is that Telecom have been an outstanding supporter of the All Blacks for a long time and it's a pity this hasn't worked out."

- The Dominion Post