Suggestive Red Devil posters banned

The Media Guardian reports the ASA has banned a poster campaign for Red Devil, a popular energy drink by Britvic, after upholding two complaints that it made "offensive" references to anal sex.

From the article: The poster adverts, for Red Devil, carried the innuendo-laden slogans "He was going so fast he went for the wrong entrance" and "Once he'd found the right zone, she was raring to go".

Soft drinks giant Britvic, which makes Red Devil, agreed the wording in the adverts was "suggestive" but argued they were "playful and cheeky".

Although only two people complained, the Advertising Standards Authority said the wording on the posters "was not suitable for poster medium" and "likely to cause serious and widespread offence". It ordered the company to change the wording.

Adland® is supported by your donations alone. You can help us out by buying us a Ko-Fi coffee.
Anonymous Adgrunt's picture
comment_node_story
Files must be less than 1 MB.
Allowed file types: jpg jpeg gif png wav avi mpeg mpg mov rm flv wmv 3gp mp4 m4v.
tlevitz's picture

Uncle! Uncle!

Let's compromise and make it a matter of placement. Where do these posters appear anyway?

If it appears where the kiddies can see, let's take a different approach and leave the innuendos for the 18 and up vehicles... unless of course you can fully pull off the old-school cartoon method of having the joke work two ways.

I'm not sure you can just "change the wording" on these posters without wrecking it altogether.

caffeinegoddess's picture

According to the ASA site, they were on the London Underground.
They also have a description of the visual (same for both posters): "Below the heading is a picture of two crumpled Red Devil cans next to the text "BEWARE HIS INFLUENCE."

Dabitch's picture

two things... 1) what is 'raring', wasn't she "roaring to go"? and 2) entrance? entrance? That's their sexual innuendo? Aw c'mon.

caffeinegoddess's picture

Raring: full of enthusiasm or eagerness

Dabitch's picture

aaaaha. The lines makes more sense now.

I need a new dictionary.