A phone hacking ad for call management systems company Re-Tell has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. Why? Becasue it shows the image of a woman from the backside with chains around her and a sign which reads, “Access Denied.” The group ruled the ad as “likely to cause serious offense.”
In the News reports, “The company explained that the photograph of the naked woman in chains was chosen because it was the ‘most striking image available’ when they entered the phrase ‘access denied’ into a search on a reputable photograph gallery.”
Hmm. Had they just searched Google, they would have found hundreds of less striking but equally powerful images they could have used. But hey, this is advertising. We take every chance we can get to show booty.
In its finding the ASA wrote, “Although the ad’s image was not explicit, the ‘access denied’ sign across the naked woman’s bottom implied anal sex. That sign, in conjunction with the chains wrapped around the naked woman’s body, suggested the woman was a sex object and were likely to be seen as demeaning and objectifying women.”
All of that said, we cam guarantee you that’s not the last time we’ll see imagery like this in advertising.
