Fusion radio 'nipples' ad slammed as sexist

LONDON - A poster advertisement for Fusion 107.3FM, where a woman's nipples were replaced by radio dials, has been slammed as "sexist and irrelevant" by the advertising watchdog.

The ad for Fusion, a South London radio station, showed on the left side of the poster a photograph of a near-naked women with her nipples airbrushed out and radio dials positioned in what could be seen as a south-easterly direction. It featured the words "for south east people".



More than 70 people nationwide complained about the ad for the local radio station, which was created by AMD. Complainants said the ad was sexist and demeaning to women.



Fusion claimed that it was not, in fact, trying to shock and that it had airbrushed out the woman's nipples to avoid causing offence. It also said it regretted that the ad had appeared in "inappropriate locations, such as near schools".



The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the image of a naked woman was sexist and irrelevant to the product, and told Fusion to withdraw it immediately.



If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Advertising

You have

[DAYS_LEFT] Days left

of your free trial

Subscribe now

Get a team licence 

 Give your teams unrestricted access to in-depth editorial analysis, breaking news and premium reports with a bespoke subscription to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10.

Find out more

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Market Reports.

Find out more

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an Alert Now