ASA raps Unilever over ‘provocative’ Lynx ads
Insufficient age restrictions on sites showing Lucy Pindar clips
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has upheld several complaints against Unilever UK over its sexually provocative internet display adverts for Lynx Dry Full Control and a poster advertising Lynx shower gel, also deemed too sexually suggestive.
The first set of complaints focused on four online adverts viewed on Yahoo, Hotmail, Rotten Tomatoes and Anorak in June and July 2011, and a static display advert on Spotify viewed in July 2011. The first ad showed glamour model Lucy Pinder getting dressed, washing a car and eating an ice-lolly in a series of cleavage revealing outfits accompanied by on screen text stating: “Can she make you lose control? Put premature perspiration to the test.” Text at the end invited viewers to “Play with Lucy” at www.lynxeffect.com.
The second showed Pindar stripping wallpaper, jogging, applying lip gloss, eating whipped cream off her finger and playing with a light sabre alongside text stating: “What will she do to make you lose control?” At the end of the ad, on-screen text asked the viewer to answer the following: “Lucy Pindar [blank]ing makes me prematurely perspire.”
Ad three was the same as ad two but featured different text (“Can she make you lose control?” and “Put premature perspiration to the test”), while the fourth involved various close ups of Pindar’s cleavage and invited the viewer to “Play with Lucy” at www.lynxeffect.com.
Finally, the Spotify ad featured an image of Pindar wearing underwear and bending over an oven door by text reading: “Can she make you lose control?” which reduced to a side bar image of Pindar standing outdoors under a washing line in her underwear and a short shirt.
Ten complainants challenged whether the video ads were offensive because they featured sexually provocative content and were degrading to women; and irresponsible, because they were inappropriately located on sites that could be seen by children. Meanwhile, six complainants challenged whether the static ad was offensive and irresponsible for the same reasons.
The ASA ruled that all four video ads, as well as the Spotify ad were presented in a sexually provocative way and were degrading to women, therefore breaching CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 4.1 (harm and offence).
In addition, the ASA said that although Yahoo and Hotmail targeted the video ads at adults, there was not enough evidence showing what proportion of Rotten Tomatoes and Anorak website users were over 16 years of age. In this respect the video ads breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 (social responsibility) and 5.1 (children).
However, it was felt that the static display ad on Spotify was unlikely to be seen by children under 16, so this ad was not considered irresponsible on these grounds.
A total of 113 complaints were made against a poster for Lynx shower gel in July 2011. The poster featured a young woman standing beneath a shower on a beach wearing bikini bottoms and clasping an undone bikini top against her breasts. The accompanying text read: “The cleaner you are the dirtier you get.”
Complainants challenged whether the ad was offensive because it was sexually suggestive, provocative, indecent, glamorised casual sex and because it objectified women. The ad was also accused of being irresponsible because it was inappropriate for public display where it could be seen by children and because it promoted promiscuity.
The ASA upheld the first two complaints, deeming the ad likely to cause offence and unacceptable for public display where it might be seen by children. However, it did not uphold the complaint that the image and text encouraged promiscuity as the poster did not feature a sex scene or suggest that unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners was desirable or should be sought out.
The ASA concluded that none of the Lynx adverts in question should appear again in their current form.
