Bookmaker and TG4 rapped over raunchy ads

Two risqué adverts have landed Irish language channel TG4 and Paddy Power bookmakers in hot water, it emerged today.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland upheld complaints against a poster ad for TG4’s Paisean Faisean, which showed a teacher dressed in a raunchy outfit and a radio plug for gambling website paddypowerpoker.com which featured a grandmother stripping.

TG4 was wrapped over the poster which showed a teacher, wearing a bloomer skirt and fishnet stockings while writing on a blackboard. The slogan “Girls dressed by boys” also featured.

A woman complained stating the ad portrayed women as mere sexual objects, simplified women and was insulting and dehumanising. She also said the ad suggested a teenager was fantasising about his teacher.

A second complaint said the teacher’s outfit was offensive.

In defence of the poster, the advertisers said it was designed for a light hearted programme that targeted women aged 25 to 44.

They claimed they used the image of the school teacher so men might conjure up in their mind how they would like to have seen their teachers look. And they said the ad coincided with a trend of popular school uniform discos.

They stated the campaign had now finished and was not set out to embarrass or cause offence to any person. The complaint was upheld.

Paddy Power fell foul of the ASAI for a radio ad depicting a grandmother teaching her grandson how to play strip poker.

Two people complained about the dialogue after the young lad wins the first hand and the grandmother said: “So that means that I have to take my top off”.

The listener hears a zip unfasten before the grandson wins the next hand with a pair of aces and the grandmother says: “Might as well whip the bra off now - you’re never going to beat a pair like that”.

The commercial ends with the grandmother saying: “There’s a place for fun and games – paddypowerpoker.com."

The complaints, which said the advertising was offensive and vulgar, were upheld.

Elsewhere, air travellers were forced to go to the ASAI over two separate ads. Aircoach, the independent bus company serving Cork, Belfast and Dublin, was rapped over an ad which claimed services left from the centre of the capital to the airport every 15 minutes at peak times.

One complainant said he used the service on a Saturday and had waited over 35 minutes for the coach. He ended up missing his plane.

His complaint, which claimed the ad was misleading, was upheld.

No frills airline Ryanair was also criticised for an ad which claimed tickets on flights from Dublin to Glasgow-Prestwick were on sale from €13.99 one way.

The complainant said that the advertisement was misleading as it did not include airport charges. The complaint was upheld.

In all the ASAI received complaints about 21 ads, 17 of which attracted complaints from consumers and four were complaints of an industry nature.

Some 18 of the ads were found to be in breach of the Codes of Advertising Standards.