ASA gives go ahead to D&G ‘gay kiss’ ad

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that an ad for Dolce & Gabbana watches featuring two men kissing were not inappropriate.

The ad was shown during the X-Factor on ITV1 prompting 70 objections on the grounds that children would be watching, and a further 19 complaints from viewers who argued that showing two men kissing was unacceptable at any time.

The ASA pointed out that the ad had already been cleared by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre as it had been deemed relatively mild.

The authority added that it did not consider a kiss between two men automatically made an ad unacceptable.

It has also upheld some complaints against ads by the Food Standards Agency. The ads, part of the FSA’s campaign to reduce the nation’s salt intake, featured a family called the Keytes taking the “salt challenge”.

The press executions claimed that after four weeks, the Keytes looked and felt better and had seen their blood pressure get lower, and that one member, Lisa, now avoided “unhealthy” snacks.

A nutritionist complained that it was unlikely all four members had managed to lower their blood pressure and said it was misleading to suggest reduced salt intake alone was responsible for lower blood pressure. The nutritionist also pointed out that not all snacks were unhealthy.

The ASA agreed that the first two claims were misleading, but said it did not think readers would infer that all snacks were unhealthy.