A used forklift company is in trouble for rehashing an “offensive” advertisement featuring a scantily clad woman, with the catchline “you know you’re not the first … But does that really matter?”
In January, Independent Forklifts was asked to remove an advertisement on RadioLive’s website that featured an image of a woman in dominatrix-type clothing, with a forklift in the background, reports stuff.co.nz
The Advertising Standards Authority has found it does matter, and has now upheld a further complaint against the company, after it began using an ad similar to that originally complained about.
The new ad showed a woman dressed in skimpy, provocative clothing, with the same text.
Two complainants shared the view the new ad was “shockingly denigrating of women, objectifying them as sex objects”.
The advert was a gratuitous objectification of the woman which was likely to cause serious and widespread offence on the grounds of gender, the complaints board found.
The board had also considered the decision for the company’s previous campaign.
At the time the authority found the ad was exploitative in nature, and the advertiser had used sexual appeal to draw attention to an unrelated product.
It was also noted the advert on a vehicle would be highly visible to a wide cross-section of the general public – including children – and not just the target audience of adult men.
The complaints board says the new ad had not been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility, and upheld the complaint.
The advertiser would be asked to remove the ad, but it was possible they could continue to publish similar adverts, as there is no punishment prescribed.
Independent Forklifts previously said the company had been using the campaign for the last three years with few complaints: “In fact we regularly have the public of NZ … comment how good it is.”
