An artificial grass company has been ordered to take down an 'offensive' billboard poster after the advertising watchdog ruled it 'objectified and stereotyped women as sexual objects'.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media - found after an investigation sparked by complaints that it was 'irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence'. The poster - for Oldham-based Great Grass MCR Ltd - features headline text which states 'Artificial Grarse Experts'. Underneath is an image of a woman wearing only a thong with text which states: "Perfect 365 days a year...Get laid by the best."
The giant billboard was put up by the company, based in Failsworth, Oldham, at a busy junction in nearby Hollinwood, where Oldham Road meets the M60 motorway.
The ASA said in a judgment published today: "The complainants, who believed the ad objectified and sexualised women, challenged whether the ad was offensive, harmful and irresponsible." After an investigation, the complaints were upheld.
The ASA said in its ruling: "We noted that the word 'grass' was spelt incorrectly to include the word 'arse'. We considered that was likely to be understood by readers to be a reference to the model's buttocks and had the effect of making that exposed part of her body the focus, thereby drawing attention to the ad.
"The ad also stated 'Get laid by the best'. We considered 'get laid' would be understood by readers as a slang reference to sexual intercourse. We considered that text, together with the model's pose and state of undress, was sexually suggestive and would be seen as presenting the model as a sexual object.
"We acknowledged that while sunbathing, people might recline on a lawn wearing revealing clothing. However, we considered that in the context of the ad, in particular the references to 'arse' and 'get laid', the model was portrayed as a sexual object, rather than someone who was sunbathing.
"For those reasons, we concluded that the ad objectified and stereotyped women as sexual objects, was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence."
The ASA said it has told Great Grass MCR Ltd to ensure future ads were socially responsible and did not cause serious or widespread offence, including by featuring a harmful gender stereotype by objectifying and sexualising women.
In response to the ASA, the company said 'Get laid by the best' was a strapline it had used for years and the claimed 'perfect 365 days a year' meant it believed their grass was perfect all year round.
The ASA said: "Great Grass said it was noteworthy that there had only been three complaints when the ad had been seen by thousands of people. They therefore believed that most people were not offended by the ad, but found it amusing. They believed the complaints were generated by people on social media encouraging others who likely had not even have seen the ad, to complain about it.
"Great Grass also said that to assume that the person featured in the ad was a woman was wrong and offensive to the transgender community."
A spokesman for Great Grass told the Manchester Evening News : "The ad was a bit of light-hearted fun and not intended to offend anyone. There have been a number of people posting the ad on social media with positive comments.
"We thought with all the problems going on in the world at the moment anything that can bring a smile is a welcome distraction. It is a very busy junction and the ad has been seen by thousands and thousands of people.
"To the three who found it offensive, we apologise. To the fifty odd thousand who found it amusing, sorry it's got to go."
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