The Advertising Standards Agency of New Zealand has asked to pull the latest commercial from fast food outlet Burger King off the air, considering it to be sexually exploitative. The television advertisement, featuring bikini-clad girls, attracted a total eight complaints. The Advertising Standards Complaints Board has criticized it for using sex to sell an unrelated product. The board further noted that the commercials breached the industry code of practice.
One of the advertisements features three women wearing bikinis in professional jobs, while another depicts them together in bed, swapping clothes, bouncing on a trampoline and showering in a fountain. Reacting on the judgment, Burger King argued that the ads were designed to be tongue and cheek, and it will appeal against the ruling.
On the other hand, Y&R, the agency behind the Burger King campaign, plans to appeal bans on two of the three ads in the series. Y&R chief executive Jon Ramage has said that it has checked the views of older women and found there was no widespread objection from this group.
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