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Poundland’s #NSFW Teabagging Elf Advert Banned For ‘Demeaning Women’
Poundland has been banned from reusing a series of ads created for its 2017 Christmas campaign, one of which included a nod to the sexual act of teabagging.
The ad, which divided the internet when it was posted on Poundland’s Twitter and Facebook pages on 21 December, featured an image of a toy elf holding a tea bag between its legs with a female doll lying beneath it.
The NSFW advert originally included a box of Twinings tea in the background along with the caption: “How do you take your tea, one lump or two?” But after the tea manufacturer complained about the “misuse” of its product, Poundland posted a second edited image, along with the caption: “Spot the difference”.
The teabagging ad is just one from Poundland’s #ElfBehavingBad campaign that has now been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after the regulator received 85 complaints about the “sexualised” depictions of toys.
Another now-banned ad from the campaign showed a toy elf and a bottle of de-icer placed in front of a car windscreen. The elf appeared to have drawn a pair of breasts in the ice and the ad was accompanied by the caption: “Oh Elf, we know it’s nippy outside but not that kind of nippy! #ElfBehavingBad”.
Another ad featured a moving graphic of the toy elf with a toothbrush placed between its legs whilst motioning back and forth. The caption stated: “That’s one way to scratch that itch. That’s not Santa’s toothbrush is it?!”.
Other banned ads from the campaign included:
:: An ad that featured a toy elf in a sink filled with bubbles sitting with two female dolls, taking a selfie. The caption stated: “Rub-a-dub-dub, three in a tub. A night of ‘Selfies and chill’. #ElfBehavingBad.”
:: An ad that featured an elf sitting on a toy donkey’s back with the caption: “Don’t tell Rudolph I’ve found a new piece of ass.”
:: An ad that featured an elf playing a game of cards with three unclothed dolls. The caption stated: “Joker, joker. I really want to poker.”
:: An ad that featured an image of the toy elf next to a drawing of a phallic-shaped tree with the caption: “That’s one very prickly Christmas tree.”
In response to complaints, Poundland said the elf campaign was “based on humour and double entendres” and was not intended to offend anyone. A spokesperson stated a large number of people found the campaign to be humorous, engaging, and “in line with what it meant to be British”.
They also stated Twitter and Facebook have policies which prevent under-13s from creating accounts, saying Poundland had “never sought to encourage anyone other than adults to follow Poundland on these social networks”.
But the ASA ruled the ads were “irresponsible and were likely to cause serious or widespread offence”, banning them from appearing again. “We noted the ads had been shared widely on social media and therefore would have been seen by a large number of people, including some children, who did not actively follow Poundland on social media,” the ASA said.
“We considered the depiction of a child’s toy in relation to such sexual references and acts in a medium which could also be accessed by children was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence, therefore breaching the Code.”
The ASA added some of the ads, including the teabagging ad, “presented the female dolls in a manner which could be seen as demeaning to women”.
“The ads must not appear again in their current form,” it concluded. “We told Poundland Ltd to ensure that their advertising was presented with a sense of responsibility and did not cause serious or widespread offence.”
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/poundland-teabagging-ad-banned-for-sexualised-depiction-of-elf_uk_5a7883fee4b0d3df1d13fbb4
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