What a gag! Sex toy advert referencing Harry's book Spare is banned for inappropriate display
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An ad for sex toy retailer Lovehoney that referenced the Duke of Sussex's memoir Spare has been banned for appearing where it could be seen by children.
The digital billboard ad, seen on February 8 at London's Clapham Junction train station, featured an image of a ball gag and large text that stated: 'Silence is golden, Harry.'
Smaller text underneath said: 'Spare ball gags available at www.lovehoney.co.uk.'
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received one complaint that the ad was offensive and inappropriate for display in an untargeted medium where it could be seen by children.
Lovehoney said that they did not believe the ad was offensive.
The retailer said the ad was created in response to the release of Harry's memoir, which they pointed out contained 'a number of indiscreet revelations, some of which had a sexual reference'.
An ad for sex toy retailer Lovehoney that referenced the Duke of Sussex's memoir Spare has been banned for appearing where it could be seen by children
The digital billboard ad, seen on February 8 at London's Clapham Junction train station, featured an image of a ball gag and large text that stated: 'Silence is golden, Harry'
At the time the ad was published Lovehoney issued a press release saying it 'was meant to be humorous and that not all family stories needed to be shared with the public'.
Lovehoney said they did not believe the ad was inappropriate for untargeted display because a ball gag had no explicit sexual reference and children would not recognise it as a sex toy.
The ASA said it understood that a ball gag was a sex toy that was placed in the mouth of a person to limit them from talking, and while some people would find this 'distasteful' it concluded that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.
However it found that the image of a ball gag and references to the toy in the text were inappropriate for children to see.
The ASA said: 'We considered that while younger children were likely to be unaware of what the item was, older children might have greater awareness of what the object was intended for.
'We therefore considered that the ad was inappropriate for outdoor display where it could be seen by children.
'We concluded that the ad had been irresponsibly targeted.'
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