Balls to complaints as ASA rules Unilever Lynx ad okay

By Michelle Yeomans

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Hygiene

Balls to complaints as ASA rules Unilever Lynx ad okay
Unilever has received complaints over it's tongue in cheek advert for its newest Lynx product, the 'Manwasher Shower Tool' which is marketed to men to address hygiene and health based on the double entendre of the word "balls".

On investigating complaints that challenged whether the ad was irresponsible and unsuitable for display where it might be viewed by children or causing serious or widespread offence, the Advertising Standards Authority found them not to be upheld.

Shown on Gym TV and YouTube, the ad features in the style of a product presentation filmed with a live audience, with two female presenters 'Stephanie De Mornay' and 'Amber James'.

Stephanie on introducing Amber, asks; "What have you got for us today, Amber​?"  To which Amber responds, "Balls. Nobody wants to play with them when they're dirty. That's why you have to keep your balls clean."

Proceeding scenes then illustrate Amber unsuccessfully cleaning a football whilst saying "The problem is soap just isn't enough." ​Stephanie then asks, "Well, how can guys clean their balls properly so they're more enjoyable to play with​?" To which Amber replies, "Well finally there's a tool that can really get the job done. The Lynx Manwasher. Cleans your balls."

Response - "Men resonate better to personal hygiene with humour"

After receiving the news of the complaints, Unilever replied that men did not feel comfortable discussing their personal hygiene openly and therefore campaigns around men's hygiene and health resonated better when humour was used.

The personal care giant added that the humour in the ad was based on the double entendre of the word "balls" which was often used as a comedic device in British comedy and cited 'Round the Horn', the 'Carry On' films and 'Are You Being Served?' as examples.

It also considered the innuendo unlikely to be understood by children, because they would not be familiar with the slang meaning of the word "balls", and it was therefore unlikely to cause them moral harm.

"Unilever said the size and shape of the sports balls bore no relation to the actual size of human testicles and were used to generate an unrealistic and humorous effect. They considered that as a result the ad did not create the impression that the size of the sports balls were representative of the size of the testicles of the men in the audience who were holding the balls, or that the skin colour of the men was of any relevance in that context​," adds the ASA.

ASA: Claims are not upheld

The ASA acknowledged that very young children would be unlikely to be aware of the slang meaning of the term "balls", but we considered that older children would be likely to know and understand that slang meaning, particularly in the context of an ad which discussed the use of a "Manwasher".

"Nonetheless, we noted the actions Unilever had taken to specifically target the ad to their target demographic of men aged between 16 and 34, and noted we had not received any complaints that the ad had been seen by children. We concluded the ad had been appropriately targeted and was not, therefore, irresponsible​."

Related topics Regulation & Safety Skin Care

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