Penchant for creating controversial adsThe American retailing firm is not new to such controversy as it had broken advertising rules in the US and other countries in the past. A staple violation is its use of exploitative and sexual images of young models. This time, it decided to post a series of advertisements for its two clothing lines – tights and colored tees. And it seemed to have crossed the line again by featuring sexual images of women in its ads.Ad campaigns earned public complaintsBoth campaigns of American Apparel resulted in complaints that were filed at the Advertising Standards Authority. The ad watchdog received at least two complaints that reported images of young models modeling T-shirts via the Internet, wherein which the shirts were supposedly see-thru and that breasts of the women were visible.
Complainants found the images to be too sexy and hence offensive. They reasoned that the posting of the ads is a highly irresponsible act. They also reasoned that the ads are purely sexual; they shouldn’t be displayed on a site in which young children have full access.
Offensive to minorsAnother complaint filed at ASA involved a young mother who checked American Apparel’s online ads for tights with her 12-year old daughter, but was shocked upon seeing images of women almost naked except for the denier tights.
ASA Rules American Apparel Ad BanASA ruled that the models look underage in one of the shirt ads, and since breasts were made visible through the shirt, it deemed that the ads are offensive. The tights campaign of American Apparel, according to ASA, was sexual and provocative, and offensive to the general public. The campaign was also ruled as irresponsible since young kids can gain access to these images on a website.
The US retail giant, on its part, countered that its American Apparel ad campaign was done in good taste. And this it has been doing advertising campaigns of such nature ever since.
In the end, ASA banned three AA ads that were posted on the website that promote tights.
Image Source: TheGuardian
