Temperatures rise over air con advert
An advert banned from appearing on buses has been placed on a billboard, which has been slammed for its “sexist” message.
Wednesday, 24 Jul 2019 11:11 GMT
Similar adverts have been displayed in the U.S, like this one from 2011. Photo: David Wilson (Flickr)
The advert for air conditioning company Not Just Cooling was ruled inappropriate by Adverta, which places adverts on buses and trams in Nottingham. It was meant to appear on seven buses in the city, but the outdoor advertising company blocked it and said it could cause offence.
However, the advert was deemed appropriate to appear on a billboard in Mapperley in Nottingham. The advert portrays a woman in a t-shirt and shorts, with the text: “Your wife is hot!” Further down, the tagline adds: “Better get the air conditioning fixed”.
It was designed by Not Just Cooling owner, Lee Davies, who told the BBC it was “a bit of harmless fun”, adding: “I saw an advert like this in America, I chuckled to myself and thought 'why not?' Air conditioning is a very hard thing to advertise.”
Davies told the BBC that he had run the idea past his team of engineers, who are all men, as well as discussing the idea with his wife and mother, who also agreed it was a good idea. He said the idea came about after seeing a similar advert for air conditioning in the U.S.
A spokesman for Adverta says: "Adverta took the view that the artwork supplied could cause offence and sought the views of our partners, Nottingham City Transport, and together we decided not to allow it, taking the view that it was not appropriate."
Space Outdoor, which owns the billboard, says it had received “nothing but positive feedback”.
"All of our campaigns are screened and judged by our in-house team,” comments Andrew Foster, Space Outdoor owner. "We would never display anything indecent, illegal or immoral and in this case, we found the advert to be in good taste and non-offensive."
We would never display anything indecent, illegal or immoral and in this case, we found the advert to be in good taste and non-offensive”
Professor Carrie Paechter, the director of the Nottingham Centre for Children, Young People and Families, told the BBC: "If I had young children, I wouldn't want them passing that on the way to school, because of the messages it gives them about society.
"The subliminal message about society is that it's OK to comment on women's bodies, and comment on women's bodies as if they are the possession of someone else - 'your wife'.
"It also gives the subliminal message that it's the man of the house that's responsible for getting the air conditioning fixed."
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) said it had received two complaints regarding the advert and is assessing “whether there are any potential grounds for action”.
A new rule from the ASA came into force on June 14th, which states that advertisements “must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence”, following a review of gender stereotyping in adverts that concluded that perpetuating stereotypes restricts people’s choices and plays a part in unequal gender outcomes.
The rule highlights that not all gender stereotypes are problematic, but specific harms should be prevented.
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