Taking a look at the bare essentials

Attention please. The Portuguese magazine of business communication, Prisma, has written to the Diary requesting help on an upcoming issue: “The penis in advertising”.

Prisma suggests we “have a break, take a cup of coffee and find two minutes” in which to dwell on the subject.

This reveals the gulf between Mediterranean and British behaviour: two minutes and a cup of coffee in Portugal roughly translates to one minute, if you’re lucky, and five pints of lager in Blighty.

Prisma wants to know if it’s acceptable in the UK to show a full frontal male in an ad, helpfully pointing out by way of explanation: “in other words, showing genitalia”. God forbid. Remember the furore the Lee Jeans/stiletto “Put the boot in” bum ad caused?

Second, it asks: “What effect does the use of male nude figures, seen from the front, produce in the minds of audiences?” Well, how does one begin to answer that poser?

Any readers willing to help Prisma in its search for parts other magazines don’t reach should contact the Diary.