The ad was deemed “offensive,” “crude,” and “embarrassing” by some viewers.
A tampon advert has been banned following 84 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI).
The “tampons and tea” advert by Tampax will no longer be permitted to be shown on TV in its current format as it caused widespread offence, the ASAI has said.
The lighthearted advert, which depicts a TV host and a young girl discussing correct tampon usage, received 84 complaints from viewers who deemed it “offensive,” “crude,” and “demeaning to women.”
Others complained about the advert’s tagline, “You gotta get ‘em up there girls,” stating the brand could have detailed correct tampon usage in a more “discreet” manner, while some complained that the advert was using sexual innuendo and was not suitable for children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X0LpyXMnjg
The ASAI upheld the complaints around offence – not because the ad caused grave offence, but because the number of complaints suggested the offence had been widespread.
Complaints around sexual innuendo, suitability for children, and the ad being demeaning to women were not upheld.
In response, advertisers Proctor & Gamble (who own Tampax) said they carried out extensive research to detail the barriers that many young women still face while using tampons.
“It became apparent to them that many consumers regularly felt discomfort all or some of the time when they were using a tampon, primarily because they were unsure how to insert the tampon,” they said.
“The need for education became apparent, and after conducting an online quantitative test amongst over 5,000 women in different countries (not including Ireland), the advertisers’ findings demonstrated that 30-40 percent of the Tampons users were not inserting the applicator properly.”
The findings also found that 60-70 percent said that discomfort comes from insertion, “which confirmed the hypothesis that the wrong insertion was triggering the discomfort.”
The ad will no longer be permitted to be shown in its current format.
