Daily Express rapped over DVD promotion
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints against The Daily Express for a misleading promotion for free DVDs from Woolworths.
A front-page splash stated: “Unbelievable but true – 18 free DVDs for every reader”. However, the ASA found that Woolworths stores had only been allocated 50 DVDs each from the promotion. The Express was told to make it clear in its advertising and promotions if stocks were going to be limited.
The ASA has told Playboy TV that its advertising campaign can only be placed in adult magazines following complaints from women about its ads in men’s monthly Loaded. They showed a lingerie-clad woman being controlled by a man holding puppet strings, accompanied by the straplines “Like this?” and “Whatever you like, you pull the strings”. The ASA is also investigating 14 complaints about a poster for pole-dancing club Spearmint Rhino, displayed near the East London Mosque, and five complaints against Irish airline Ryanair about a press campaign that features the Pope.
The ASA is also investigating Trojan, the US condom brand, for an outdoor campaign featuring an image of a woman in the throes of a sexual act in the form of a magazine cover. It has received 12 complaints claiming the ad is offensive, degrading to women and inappropriate for children. In April, a similar campaign by Trojan resulted in 33 complaints to the ASA, which were not upheld (MW April 8).
