Saucy sausage ads rapped by watchdog

A radio campaign for Mattesons laden with sexual innuendo about where women might like to put the food brand's "extraordinarily large" sausages has been criticised by the advertising watchdog for airing when children were listening.

The campaign, by agency Quiet Storm, featured women talking about where they like to "stick" a big sausage. Each ad opens with a man asking women what they like to do with sausages.

One woman said: "I'm renowned for my big sausage hotpot. People are always calling by for a bit and my husband Roger loves it." "I stick mine in a nice warm casserole but some evenings when I'm alone I like to stick it ... in my pasta salad," added another. The Advertising Standards Authority received 21 complaints about the series of four ads, which ran on Forth One, Clyde Radio and Real Radio.



Complainants said the ads were offensive because they contained inappropriate sexual innuendo. Seven listeners also believed the ads were not suitable to be broadcast when children were listening.

The ASA dismissed the complaints that the radio ads were offensive because the sexual innuendo was not explicit. The ASA concluded, however, that the sexual innuendo was "sufficiently strong to present a problem if it was heard by older children".

"We considered that the ads could cause harm to children and, because they had not been scheduled away from times when children might be listening, had not been appropriately scheduled," said the ASA. The ASA ruled that the ads must not be broadcast in or around programmes likely to be heard by a significant number of children.

With audio.