The campaign appeared in national newspaper magazines including The Guardian, The Observer and The Independent, promoting a development by Countryside Properties and received a total of 37 complaints.
The ad showed a fully-clothed man with a laptop on his knee looking at a naked woman who was bound with computer cable. The ad promoted cable-free technology at the development and was created by the Leeds-based shop An Agency Called England.
Readers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that the ad was sexist and demeaning to women, and some said that it was irresponsible because they believed it condoned sexual violence.
The advertisers claimed that because the property offered wireless technology, cables would be reduandant, and that the ad showed the creative use of cabling to protect the model's modesty. It denied the charges that it condoned sexual violence.
The ASA found that the ad was demeaning and ordered Countryside Properties not to repeat it. The Guardian said that it should not have passed their checking procedures and that it would not publish the ad again.
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