ASA Rules Against Magazine Ads
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints against magazine adverts for Accurist jewellery and The Ministry of Sound.The authority received complaints that an ad for Accurist jewellery, which appeared in Marie Claire was irresponsible.
The ad showed part of an article, apparently torn from a magazine, about a child beauty pageant contestant. It featured two photographs of a heavily made up child beauty pageant contestant and was headlined: “Accu.2silver. Unfussy, individual, solid silver jewellery, because mother doesn’t always know best.”
The complainant claimed that the ad was offensive because it: “Showed a young girl in a suggestive, sexual way and was likely to appeal to those who may abuse children.”The advertisers argued that there was “nothing salacious” about the ad, pointing out that it appeared in women’s magazines and was aimed at neither men nor children. They said that the purpose of the ad was to: “Challenge the motives behind child beauty pageants by making readers stop and question the decency of parents who entered children into the pageants.” They continued that the message was that people should make their own fashion statements and should not be manipulated.
However, the ASA considered that people would not necessarily understand the advertisers intended meaning and agreed that it showed the girl in a suggestive sexual way. They upheld the complaint and told the advertisers not to take a similar approach again.
The Authority also received an objection to an advert for The Ministry of Sound, which appeared in Time Out magazine. The ad pictured a woman in a negligee, through which both her breasts were visible. The naked torso of a man, who seemed to be on top of a second woman, was pictured between the first woman’s legs. The complainant objected that the ad was offensive.
The advertisers argued that they had intended to push the boundaries laid down by regulatory organisations, saying that the ad was part of a series and they did not intend to stop the campaign. The publishers added that Time Out was a paid for magazine with adult readers and explained that while editorial images in the magazine were sometimes hard hitting, they received little criticism.
The authority was concerned by the advertisers apparent disregard for the codes and concluded that the ad was gratuitous and likely to cause serious or widespread offence. They upheld the complaint and told the advertisers not to repeat the approach.ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.ukSubscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive
ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive