A TV campaign accused of implying that cleaning is women's work and that men are "stupid and lazy" when it comes to housework has escaped a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority, despite attracting almost 700 complaints. The cringe-worthy TV campaign, for an oven cleaner called Oven Pride, included a voiceover that described the simplicity of using the product as "So easy, even a man can do it".
The TV commercial features a man making child-like facial expressions while a pregnant woman, who appears cross, holds the cleaner. The man is shown cleaning a stove with "exaggerated delight" while being watched by the now disapproving-looking woman. At the end of the ad, where the voiceover line is repeated along with a girlish giggle, text runs "Note: no men were harmed during the making of this commercial".
The ASA received 673 complaints. Most argued that the ad suggested men were "stupid and lazy" and was therefore sexist and offensive. Some complainants also argued that the ad suggested that cleaning was "generally a woman's job" and was therefore offensive and demeaning to women.
In its ruling, the ASA agreed that most viewers would see the TV ad as "light-hearted and comical".
"The ad used mild humour to refer to traditional gender stereotypes but considered that the overall impression was such that it did not portray either gender in a way that stigmatised, humiliated or undermined them by using harmful stereotypes," it said.
While the ASA agreed that some viewers might find the ad in poor taste it dismissed the complaints as unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.
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