Samsung has apologised after safety campaigners criticised an advert for a smart watch featuring a woman running alone at 2am.

The tech giant’s ad, which shows the young woman getting up in the early hours of the morning to go for a jog through the streets of London, was described as ‘ludicrous’ and ‘tone deaf’. Samsung said the aim was to show runners working to their own schedules and celebrating the idea of freedom to exercise at all hours.

However, women’s safety group Reclaim These Streets said the theme was ‘tone deaf’ in light of the death of teacher Ashling Murphy, who was killed while on a run in January.

The 23-year-old’s death in Tullamore, Co Offaly, caused shockwaves and sparked vigils across Ireland and beyond in her memory, as calls were made for a change in attempts to tackle gender-based violence. It led to the hashtag #shewasonarun as women shared stories about being harassed while out running. Jamie Klingler, cofounder of Reclaim These Streets, said: ‘It’s so tone deaf, especially in light of Ashling Murphy’s death. It’s disrespectful. It isn’t safe for us to run at night.’

Referring to a scene in which a man on a bike rides up behind the woman and they interact, she added: ‘That’s the bit that really made me wince.’

Esther Newman, editor of the Women’s Running magazine and podcast, said: ‘The very idea that woman would go out running at 2am and be wearing headphones is absolutely ludicrous.’

Samsung said: ‘It was never our intention to be insensitive to ongoing conversations around women’s safety.

‘As a global company with a diverse workforce, we apologise for how this may have been received.’