Saucy 'call girl' billboard stops traffic
The Press
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The Secret Diary of a Call Girl is not so secret after all.
A nationwide billboard campaign to promote the new Prime Television programme has attracted attention from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and stopped traffic in central Christchurch.
Bus-stop billboards advertising the programme feature a modestly attired woman during the day who turns decidedly salacious after dark.
A spokeswoman for Prime Television, Lisa Franklin, said back-lighting on the boards came up after dark to reveal sexy lingerie on the "call girl".
Franklin said she was not sure whether the changeover occurred before the "watershed" time of 8:30pm, when adult content is allowed to appear on television.
"That depends on what time it gets dark in Christchurch these days," Franklin said.
Another billboard, on the corner of Christchurch's Tuam and Madras streets, features a skirt that blows up in the wind to reveal the legs of a "call girl" clad in suspenders.
Several motorists spotted by The Press were so transfixed by the billboard that they failed to move when the traffic lights turned green.
The Advertising Standards Authority said yesterday it had received complaints over the campaign.
"In considering complaints about a billboard, we take into account that they reach a wide range of audience, unlike some other forms of media," an ASA spokeswoman said.
Franklin said Prime TV could not comment on the complaints.
"We've not had any complaints and we have run everything very carefully and stringently past the governing body," she said.
"She (the call girl) is scantily clad, but certainly not any worse than you would see for a large number of other programmes."
The campaign was run by Draft FCB, which was recently awarded advertising agency of the year.
It was a "very Prime" campaign, Franklin said.
In February this year, Prime TV and DraftFCB attracted complaints over a radio advertisement for its Hidden Palms programme which a complainant said was "a horrible way to talk about parental suicide".
The complaint was settled after Prime TV agreed to pull the advertisement off the air.
*Is the billboard offensive? Post your comments below.
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Cool, wish I could see them. I've been a fan of Billie's ever since she was on Dr Who, so I caught the show from the first episode.
Come on, get a life. How sorry can you really become? Let's not let the moaners moon us. I think the ad is simply fantastic.
When this came out in London there was a poster draped over about 10 stories of a building next to the motorway.
i bet it's just prudish types who have complained because she's a call girl. as correctly noted by several other posters, you can see more of dan carter's privates in his undie ads than you can see of the girl's privates. i think the ads are tasteful and well done.
clearly the complainants are time-rich and intelligence-poor...
The Americans make a fuss of a beautiful girl, tasteful draped, in a photo shoot and we are not supposed to object to a call girl advert showing what looks for all the world like a naked ass. I do object and to those who say I am a prude, Tuff tit to you
It will be interesting to see how the ASA rules on the matter. If they rule against the campaign it wouldn't be the first time they displayed a double standard.
As pip says - stop watching the billboards and watch where you are going. If a scantily-clad woman (or man for that matter) walks down the street, chances are you are going to gawp at them rather than watch where you are going.
The ad is titllating, salacious even. But that is the whole point, isn't it?
Crikey - all the billboards for lingerie and swimwear show much more than this. Perhaps the issue is that it is about a call-girl.
Don't forget that it is Billie Piper (who always was cute and at least has aged better than Britney). But then the photo is probably a stunt-bum.
I have nothing against it personally but is it appropriate for the kids?
Honestly NZ, get over it. It's only advertising for a program. I agree with the ads that pictured Dan Carter. No one complained about that, and that was front-on. This picture is from the rear. How is that offensive compared to Dan Carter's one? Grow up NZ, stop being so PC. There's a lot more worse stuff on TV. If you don't like it, DON'T LOOK AT IT.
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The billboard is not sexy or offensive. The model's legs are pencil-thin! Nice try though Prime.