A Timaru forklift company's "offensive" ads on some of its vans will not be pulled, despite a second complaint about them being upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Independent Forklifts is in trouble for rehashing an "offensive" advertisement for used forklifts featuring a scantily clad woman, with the catchline "you know you're not the first ... But does that really matter?"

In February, it was asked to remove a similar advertisement after a complaint from M North and K Brown was upheld by the ASA.

The latest complainants felt the ads were "shockingly denigrating of women, objectifying them as sex objects".

ASA decisions are not legally enforceable. The self-governing agency can only ask that advertisements be withdrawn. Requests are usually complied with.

Independent Forklifts general manager Merv Dore said yesterday the signs on the backs of the three vans would stay until it was time to replace them.

"They can uphold them (ASA decisions) forever, we have got an advertising campaign and will change the ads when we change them. The ASA don't have any authority. After the first complaint we received calls of support from all over the country."

It cost around $2000 to change the ads, he said, and normally three or four were changed each year.

"There are only three of the vans out of 20 with the ads on them. Two are in Christchurch and one in Timaru."

The ASA complaints board found the advert was a gratuitous objectification of the woman, which was likely to cause serious and widespread offence on the grounds of gender.

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 said the ad had not been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility, and upheld the complaint.

- The Timaru Herald

Comments