Glazing firm hit with ad ban after breasts complaint
Derrick Findlay believes far more provocative adverts have escaped the watchdogs bite
A GLAZING firm has been baffled by a decision to ban its cheeky billboard after an 18-month advertising campaign – because of one complaint.
Bathgate-based 1st Choice Glazing has been ordered to bin its ad material, which features a naked woman standing at a window, with petals covering her breasts.
The advert also features text promoting the firm’s “massive deals”, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rapped the company for being “irresponsible” after receiving a single complaint that suggested it “objectified women”.
The billboards – measuring 20ft by 10ft and 10ft by 10ft – have been placed around Bathgate and on the M8 for 18 months. The company has also posted leaflets around the area, as well as using the image as part of a wider promotional campaign including T-shirts and voucher books.
Today, director Derrick Findlay branded the decision “ludicrous” and said it could cost up to £20,000 to remove and replace all the material.
“I think it’s absolutely ludicrous – it’s meant to be tongue in cheek and it’s certainly no worse than most of the adverts you see for places like Marks & Spencer, or David Beckham in his pants. It’s a huge blow to us.”
The adverts were reported to the ASA by a complainer who said they were offensive because they believed the image objectified women.
In its decision, the ASA noted that “the woman’s breasts were partly covered by the flowers and that the image was not presented in an overtly sexual way” but said that because the woman’s head was not included in the image “consumers would understand . . . that they were being invited to view her naked torso and, in particular, her breasts”.
It concluded that “the image was likely to be seen to be an objectification of the woman in the ads and therefore of women in general”.
It went on to say that the adverts were “likely to cause serious offence” and that the billboard adverts were also “irresponsible” as they could be seen by children.
Last year, Edinburgh scrap metal firm Dalton Metal Recycling was rapped by the ASA over an advert which showed a woman’s bottom, after it was deemed to be “sexually provocative”.
The firm argued that the image was “of a plumber cleaning copper to sell to Dalton Metal Recycling” and said it was “trying to promote equal opportunities between the sexes”.
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Comments
There are 30 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
3muskateers
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 11:22 PMMaybe to even things up your next campaign could have a naked man covering his private parts up! Your last campaign was obviously directed at male attention which leads to the assumption that only men would be purchasing double glazing this in itself seems very narrow minded of you. I am surprised it took so long for a complaint to be made. What some people will do to attract attention.
derrickfindlay
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 07:00 PMComment removed by moderator
Tartancult
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:08 AM#26 All of a Highly Degrading Advert to our Women, Which has more to do with women's private parts than glazing, Quite-Right the Ban!----------------------------------They are called breasts Charles, don't be afraid to use the correct word (or do you still refer to your shrivelled penis as a 'wee-wee'?)
137guy
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:15 PMnext thing we know all the female singers on tv will be wearing burkas and such like. what a load of ---- . degrading to our women tw-t . on another note why is it that we can coment on crap so cald news like this but we cant on other articles like the one about the sex offenders in lothian which a lot of people im sure would like to say something..
Charles Linskaill
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:14 PMAll of a Highly Degrading Advert to our Women, Which has more to do with women's private parts than glazing, Quite-Right the Ban!
Mark Bishop
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 08:29 PMIt's obvious that sex sells products. The car industry has been using scantily clad models to drape themselves across cars to infer that *if you buy this car, you will attract these women*. It's been going on for decades. However, the model with the strategically placed flowers is merely there to attract attention. Nothing does it faster or quicker. Quite what it has to do with selling windows is neither here nor there, it's a gimmick. Derrick Findlay might have asked himself this question, but he trusted the advertising company that designed it. Good business practice says that if he hasn't got a huge influx of customers by now after 18 months, or that business has tailed off, he is wasting his money with the adverts anyway. Time to take them down and rethink.
The Bird
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 08:18 PMComment removed by moderator
themanwith2brains
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 07:17 PMthe scottish parliament should be closed then eh, the amount of t1ts in there
Tartancult
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 06:30 PMHow do we know it is a woman in the ad? Many of the men I see walking around Scotland these days (thankfully, fully clothed) have bigger breasts than those shown in that photo.
piedodger
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 06:13 PMHow about a large poster of Derrick Findlay's bottom "tongue in cheek" see how he feels ;(
hootsfandango
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 05:57 PMAre they silicone windows? Apparently they break easily.
langtounlass
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 05:56 PMI think if the firm paid 20k for this ad campaign then the people who thought it up saw them coming. 20k to advertise a local double glazing company - have they got money to burn at the moment? They probably spent less than a couple of thousand.
freeesian
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 04:52 PMI'm going to complain about that fat opera singer who tries to sell insurance....I find him quite offensive really
Bourneville
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 04:30 PMIf the adverts were “likely to cause serious offence” how come they only got one complaint?
Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 04:22 PM#10: On that basis, I reckon that 99% of all adverts should be banned.
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