MTV’s channel ad cleared of being ‘sexually suggestive’
MTV has avoided censure after viewers complained ads for its Viva channel were offensive.
The ads included characters who spoke with South African accents, which made it sound as though the characters were say “lick” rather than “like.”
Complainants suggested the ads should not have been shown when children may be watching and could cause widespread offence.
One character said “We lick Viva eh. I lick it a lot, I can’t get enough. I licking it twenty four seven.”
Both ads showed the characters with the names of Viva’s TV programmes on their bodies.
The ads ended with four people spelling out “VIVA” with their bodies, with two of them on their backs with their legs in the air to form a V, ending with the strapline: “Lick your Viva.”
Viva said the ads, created by agency Quiet Storm, were intended to be ’tongue-in-cheek” and “inspire love of the channel and reflect its quirky nature.”
It added that the ads were not intended to be sexually suggestive, and were filmed in a way that was “appropriately limited.”
The complaints were not upheld.
