Who’d be a regulator? Busy ASA has one hit and a miss
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA, which usually does a pretty good job in trying circumstances) was served up an easy one with this poster for Girls vs Cancer by agency BBH.
In its defence Girls vs Cancer said the poster represented the real-life experience of women and the emotions they had experienced and, while it accepted that this may have made people uncomfortable, it did not believe the ad would likely cause serious or widespread offence.
The ASA said it was likely to cause serious and widespread offence and was inappropriate for display in an untargeted medium where children could see it.
Who was right?
We all know that small charities have to make an impact over and above the budget. But BBH, as a grown-up agency, should have known better. This is student stuff.
But should the ASA have banned this from Calvin Klein, featuring musician FKA twigs? It did, for “objectifying women.” Part of a much bigger campaign which she helped to originate.
Nope, woke editorialising. If that’s the way she wants to look so be it.
Update: FKA twigs isn’t happy.