Industry | 2009.12.14
Philip Glenister's M&S ad cleared of 'sexism' rap
ASA decides not to investigate Christmas campaign featuring Life on Mars star Philip Glenister despite about 100 complaints
The advertising regulator has dismissed claims of sexism over the Life on Mars actor Philip Glenister\'s turn in Marks & Spencer\'s Christmas TV campaign of sexism, following about 100 complaints.
In the £10m campaign, which broke last month, Glenister is seen propping up the bar towards the end of the ad giving his take on what is great about Christmas.
"Oh come on, it\'s Christmas," he says in Gene Hunt-esque mode. "That girl prancing around in her underwear."
The ad then ends with Noemie Lenoir, the regular lingerie model in M&S\'s commercials, scantily clad and doing twirls in a forest.
The Advertising Standards Authority has decided not to pursue a formal investigation of the campaign, which was created by the ad agency RKCR/Y&R, and has closed the case.
"With regards to M&S, I can confirm we received 100 complaints but we did not consider there were grounds for an investigation and have closed the case," said an ASA spokesman.
"We did not believe the comment, made by the character of Gene Hunt, about a well-known M&S underwear model was derogatory and considered it was unlikely to be interpreted as a negative comment on women in general or be seen as objectifying her."
In the days after the campaign launched, the ASA received half a dozen complaints from members of the public that the ad was sexist, as revealed by MediaGuardian.co.uk .
The ASA subsequently received dozens more complaints, while as many as 150 members of the public got in touch wanting to support Glenister and back the ad campaign.
This volume of support for Glenister was such that the ASA was forced to post a notice on its website reminding members of the public that it only exists to rule on breaches of the advertising code.
"It is our role to establish whether an ad is in breach of the codes, not to monitor levels of support for an ad," said the ASA .
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