Harvey Nichols ‘wet patches’ ad escapes censure
A Harvey Nichols advertising campaign that implied people had wet themselves with excitement over its sale has escaped censure by the advertising watchdog despite attracting more than 100 complaints.
The press, digital and direct mail campaign, which ran in October last year showed images of a man and a woman with wet patches in their groin area along with the slogan: “The Harvey Nichols Sale. Try to Contain your Excitement”.
The campaign, created by DDB, attracted 105 complaints that it was offensive and would cause distress to people with bladder problems.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the ads were “unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence” although it conceded that some people could view the ads as “unsubtle and tasteless”.
