BBC Food ad gets the chop

2004-11-15 09:50

Thinus Ferreira

Cape Town - The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told a DStv channel to end an advertising campaign after members of the public complained that it exploits the female body.

The advertising campaign for BBC Food, with billboard ads in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, features a woman in a bikini top that has a pair of fried eggs on it.

The caption reads: "Dedicated to food."

The advert was one of three executions based on the idea of "people that are dedicated to food". The other two executions in the campaign depict a woman using a knife and fork as a hair clip and an eggbeater being used as an earring.

In its ruling, ASA said the advertisement "objectified and exploited the female body" and that the advertisements had to be removed.

Grant Bushby, BBC Worldwide marketing manager said on Sunday that the aim of the advertising campaign was a tongue-in-cheek illustration of how far certain people would go to show their dedication to food.

"We are delighted with the favourable response we have received from a number of people in South Africa who have reacted positively to the BBC Food billboard campaign as a whole, but respect the findings of the ASA," he added.

- Beeld