A LYNX Male Grooming TVC “Find You Magic” showing a few seconds of a woman having some ‘special alone me-time’ has been approved by the Advertising Standards Board (ASB), the ad also shows a bearded hipster patting two kittens which didn’t receive any complaints.
Unilever included positive social message from consumers that have viewed the TVC via the Lynx Australia You Tube channel. The comments include: “Nice work on creating an add that is entertaining and effective at helping people feel better about themselves” and “This ad is literally amazing, one of the few men’s ads that completely rejects male fashions norms. Great work!”.
Check out the ad and see what you think:
https://youtu.be/EQoRFRMkHdY
List of complaints:
- There is a section when a woman grabs a pillow in ecstasy and she is in bed. This is sexist and derogatory toward females. It suggests that women will be in ecstasy if the man uses Lynx. It strongly suggest an orgasmic woman. There is no need for this content. It is offensive.
- One of the scenario’s suggested a sexual nature (woman experiencing sexual activity.) I was offended by this even though it only lasted a few seconds but find it very inappropriate for this time slot especially on a weekend and children could be watching.
- One part of the ad refers to having ‘the touch’ referring to sexual prowess/desirability that is demeaning to women, unnecessary, and offensive. I would ask that this be reviewed with these considerations.
- As a parent, I was offended by the part where a woman was in bed and looked like she’d just had sex, even though it was brief I felt that it shouldn’t have been put in the advertisement or aired at that time slot.
- One particular scene has a woman clearly in a sexual position – the ad implies a man using Lynx will be able to excel at all activities including this – lynx ads are usually sexist in nature and this was extremely uncomfortable to watch at 6 pm prime time with the kids around. there is no need to advertise your products and link everything to sexual innuendos – the whole product is frankly inferior and this seemingly desperate and tacky ad is not improving their reputation as a brand – will definitely not be buying this for my partner.
Unilever argued that the TVC didn’t “portray people or depict material in a manner that discriminates against or vilifies a person or section of the community on account of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual preference, religion, disability, mental illness or political belief “.
“Scene 13 is fleeting and the innuendo conveyed by the scene is playful. The woman is not portrayed or depicted as a sexual object or conquest and she is not shown chasing after or fawning over a man.”
The ASB ruled in favour of Unilever it “noted the scene where the voiceover talks about ‘having the touch’ and we see a woman writhing on a bed. The Board noted that this scene is very brief and considered that the woman is not presented as inferior to men or in a manner which discriminates or vilifies women.
“The Board considered that the theme of the advertisement is about men achieving their goals and that a goal of finding a suitable woman is not inappropriate and that in this advertisement the women are depicted as desirable for the men but in the Board’s view this is not a depiction that women are objects.
“The Board noted that we do not see a man in this brief scene, and the meaning of ‘the touch’ is open to interpretation. The Board considered that regardless of the meaning behind the woman’s actions the manner in which she is portrayed in the advertisement is not degrading either to her specifically or to women in general.”
