The ASA upheld complaints that the TV ad for the Coty-owned perfume was too raunchy to be shown during programmes aimed at children, despite being approved by Clearcast without any restrictions.
The ad by Baron & Baron features a group of young people dancing in skimpy clothes. It was originally cleared by Clearcast with no timing restrictions.
Clearcast said the ad's fleeting, raunchy scenes had escaped attention.
In one scene a woman straddles a man’s lap while he touches her breasts. The ad's voiceover says, "CK One, the original shared fragrance…and CK One Shock, daring fragrances for him and her". The ASA received 21 complaints about the spot.
Most complaints challenged whether the ad was suitable for broadcast at times when children were likely to be watching. Some complaints wanted it banned altogether, arguing that it was "likely to cause serious or widespread offence" because of its overt sexual nature. Coty UK argued that the ad was intended to "reflect the young and edgy spirit of the products" but not to cause offence.
The company said an earlier version of the ad – edited with fewer close-up shots – had also been cleared by Clearcast, with a restriction that it was not to be shown around programmes aimed at children. This was lifted for the new version.
The complaints about the ad being unsuitable for young children were upheld by the ASA and it was banned from being shown around programmes likely to appeal to kids.
However, the ASA dismissed complaints that the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence. The body said that although it was overtly sexual, the ad contained no explicit sexual content and so could continue to air.
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