[Blog/Commentary] [UK] ASA: Paddy Power advert seriously offensive, irresponsible and caused harm

[Stephanie Stevens]

Complicity, UK


ASA: Paddy Power advert seriously offensive, irresponsible and caused harm

Posted by Zoe O'Connell in Equality, Media on 16 May 2012


Being heavily run by the BBC today
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-18075633> is the
news that the Advertising Standards Authority have finally (After 3
months!) ruled that the Paddy Power “Ladies Day”
<http://www.complicity.co.uk/blog/2012/02/paddy-power-advert-approval-withdrawn/>
advert breached their codes. It had already had its clearance by
Clearcast, a separate group who pre-vet adverts, withdrawn after the
complaints.

Complaints fell broadly into three categories: That the advert was
offensive, that it caused harm and that it was not socially
responsible and the ASA upheld that all three rules had been breached.
Highlights from the ASA ruling
<http://www.asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2012/5/Paddy-Power-plc/SHP_ADJ_188096.aspx>
on being offensive:

“We therefore considered that the suggestion that trans people could
be segregated into the gender stereotypes “stallions” and “mares” as
part of a guessing game, trivialised a complex and difficult issue and
objectified them in a way that was likely to cause them serious
offence.”

“We considered that the ad in general and those scenes in particular
depicted those negative stereotypes in a way that was also likely to
be seriously offensive to trans people.”

“We considered that the suggestion that a trans woman would need to,
or should, use a men’s toilet and the reference to a woman as a dog
were also likely to cause serious offence to women generally and trans
women specifically. We concluded that the ad was likely to cause
serious offence.”

And on social responsibility and causing harm:

“We considered that by suggesting that trans women would look like men
in drag and that their gender could be speculated on as part of a
game, the ad irresponsibly reinforced those negative stereotypes and,
particularly by framing the game in a way that involved a member of
the public who had commented on Paddy Power’s Facebook page, the ad
condoned and encouraged harmful discriminatory behaviour and
treatment.”

Sadly, there was no mention that the adverts put Trans folk at risk of
physical harm, but unsurprisingly given the above, they conclude “the
ad must not be shown again in it’s current form“.


http://www.complicity.co.uk/blog/2012/05/asa-paddy-power-advert/