ASA Adjudication on Easylife Group Ltd

Ad

A mail order catalogue distributed as an insert in TV Choice magazine, featured household, garden, health and beauty products. The catalogue included an ad for a three-part adult educational DVD and was headlined "Making love gets better with age - it’s true!" The front covers of the DVDs were shown, one of which featured a naked couple embracing. The ad featured information about the DVDs and included a warning about their explicit content.

Another ad in the catalogue for a penis pump was headlined "Stronger/larger erections". An image of the pump was shown and text described how it worked and included the text “... the penis should increase its capacity for blood flow helping to enhance potency resulting in a stronger, larger erection".

Issue

The complainant objected that the ads were offensive because of their sexual content and because the brochure was inserted into an un-targeted TV guide.  They also believed the ads were unsuitable to be seen by children.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Easylife Group Ltd (Easylife) said that the featured items appeared in catalogues inserted into targeted titles and that the media owner had approved an electronic copy of the catalogue prior to publication.  They said TV guides were not aimed at anyone under 18 years of age and the catalogues were unlikely to be seen by children. They also said the ads for the two items were not sexually explicit and were given little prominence within the catalogue.   

H. Bauer Publishing (Bauer) stated that they approved electronic copies prior to a catalogue being inserted into one of their publications but said that they would not have knowingly approved the inclusion of these items for this publication because they were not suitable for the TV Choice audience. They believed human error may have resulted in the wrong version of the catalogue being printed and inserted into TV Choice on this occasion.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA noted Easylife's comments and also noted Bauer's statement that they would not have approved  this type of content for TV Choice.

However, we considered that the ads for the two items were not sexually explicit and noted the magazine in which the brochure was inserted did not target children directly.  We concluded that, although some of the adult products might be considered tasteless by some, the ads were unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence to most readers of TV Choice or result in harm to children who might see them.

We investigated the ads under CAP Code clause 2.2 (Social responsibility) and 5.1 (Decency) but did not find them in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)