Five internet display ads for Lynx Dry Full Control deodorant. The first four ads were video ads viewed on Yahoo, Hotmail, Rotten Tomatoes and Anorak in June and July 2011. The fifth ad was a static display ad on Spotify viewed in July 2011.
a. The first ad showed Lucy Pinder carrying out various activities including getting dressed, washing a car and eating an ice lolly. In each scene she was wearing different outfits all of which revealed her cleavage. On-screen text
stated Can she make you lose control? Put premature perspiration to the test . Text at the end invited viewers to Play with Lucy and gave the web address www.lynxeffect.com.
b. The second ad showed Lucy Pinder
carrying out various activities such as stripping wallpaper, jogging, applying lip gloss, eating whipped cream off her finger and playing with a light sabre. On-screen text stated What will she do to make you lose control? . At the end of the ad
Lucy Pinder beckoned to the viewer and on-screen text stated Lucy Pinder [blank]ing makes me prematurely perspire .
c. Ad (c) was the same as ad (b) above but featured different on-screen text that stated Can she make
you lose control? and Put premature perspiration to the test .
d. The fourth ad featured various close ups of Lucy Pinder's cleavage. On-screen text at the end of the ad invited viewers to Play with Lucy and gave
the website address www.lynxeffect.com.
e. The Spotify ad featured an image of Lucy Pinder wearing underwear and bending over an oven door. Text stated Can she make you lose control? . The ad then reduced to a sidebar image
of Lucy Pinder standing outdoors under a washing line in her underwear and a short shirt. The ad invited viewers to click through to watch a video. Issue
Ten complainants challenged whether ads (a), (b), (c) and (d):
1. were offensive, because they featured sexually provocative content and were degrading to women; and
2. were irresponsible, because they were inappropriately located on sites that could be seen by
children, and could cause harm to children.
Six complainants challenged whether ad (e):
3. was offensive, because it featured sexually provocative content and was degrading to
women; and
4. was irresponsible, because it was inappropriately located on Spotify where it could be seen by children, and could cause harm to children.
Unilever said their ads for Lynx often
provoked diverse reactions and opinions, but that it was not their intention to cause harm or offence. Whilst they were confident that the ads complied with the CAP Code, they sincerely regretted any offence caused.
ASA
Assessment
1. Upheld
The ASA noted that Unilever intended the ads to be a tongue-in-cheek take on the mating game . However, we considered that the various activities that Ms Pinder
carried out were presented in a sexually provocative way, and that alongside the focus on Ms Pinder's cleavage, especially in ad (d), the ads were likely to be seen as gratuitous and to objectify women. We considered that was emphasised by the text Can she make you lose control?
in ads (a) and (c), What will she do to make you lose control? in ad (b), Lucy Pinder [blank]ing makes me prematurely perspire in ad (b), and the invitation to Play with Lucy in ads (a) and (d), which we considered would also be
seen as degrading to women. We therefore concluded that the ads were likely to cause serious and widespread offence.
On this point, ads (a), (b), (c) and (d) breached CAP Code rule 4.1 (Harm and offence).
2. Upheld
We noted that Yahoo had targeted the ads to men over the age of 18 years, and that 97% of users of their news channel, where the ad appeared in addition to appearing across their UK
website, were over 18. We also noted that Hotmail had targeted the ads to males between the ages of 16 and 25, and that 94% of users of the Hotmail site were over 15 and 91% were over 18 years of age. Notwithstanding our concern in point 1 above that the
ads were likely to cause offence, we noted that for the purposes of the CAP Code a child was someone under the age of 16 and considered that the ad was unlikely to cause harm to those aged 16 or over. We also considered that, because the ad was unlikely
to be seen by those under the age of 18 on the Yahoo and Hotmail sites, it was not irresponsible on those grounds for the ads to be placed on those websites.
However, we noted that we had not seen evidence that showed
what proportion of the users of the Rotten Tomatoes and Anorak websites were over 16 years of age. We understood that the Rotten Tomatoes and Anorak websites were not protected through age verification or other similar targeting, and therefore that the
ads could be viewed by a wide audience. For the reasons given in point 1 above, we considered that the ads were unsuitable to be seen by children and could cause them harm, and that Unilever had not taken adequate steps in relation to those websites to
ensure they were appropriately targeted. We therefore concluded that the ads were irresponsible.
On this point, ads (a), (b), (c) and (d) breached CAP Code rules 1.3 (Social responsibility) and 5.1 (Children).
3. Upheld
We considered that the image of Lucy Pinder leaning over the oven door in her underwear was provocative. Whilst we noted that the second image of Ms Pinder wearing her underwear
and a short shirt was less suggestive, we considered that, alongside the text Can she make you lose control? , the ad was likely to be seen as objectifying women and degrading to them. We therefore concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious
offence to some people.
On this point, ad (e) breached CAP Code rule 4.1 (Harm and offence).
4. Not upheld
We noted Unilever's assertion that the
ad was targeted to Spotify users over the age of 16, and understood that, on registering, Spotify users were asked to give their age and confirm whether they were over 12 years of age and had parental consent, or over 18 years of age. Notwithstanding our
concern in point 3 above that the ad was likely to cause serious offence, we considered that the ad was unlikely to cause harm to those aged 16 or over. We also considered that, because the ad was unlikely to be seen by children under the age of 16, it
was not irresponsible on those grounds.
On this point, we investigated ad (e) under CAP Code rules 1.3 (Social responsibility) and 5.1 (Children) but did not find it in breach.