Guest post: Time to complain to the ASA again…

Reader Anber Raz explains why an advert for IT equipment has been raising her hackles.

Getting off the train at Waterloo station in London I was stunned to see this poster which shows the mugshot of Hugh Grant following his arrest after being caught with a prostituted woman (not for buying another human being of course but because he was involved in a lewd act in public). Above the picture the strap line states: “Don’t get caught with the wrong rental” and below it states “Equipment and services that will blow you away”. This is an ad for a company that hires out IT equipment!

To equate the hiring of IT equipment with the buying of women for sexual exploitation is disgusting. Frankly, I have no clue how this ad got approved. Here’s a link to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) website, where you can complain online: it really doesn’t take very long. I’m not holding my breath since the ASA is rubbish at doing anything about sexist ads but maybe if enough people complain they’ll do something.

The company is called Hire-Intelligence (debatable!). Please also write to them directly and let them know what you think of their ad.

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