Sunday 10 September 2006

Who said sex doesn't sell?


It’s Fashion Week here in Melbourne and Lee jeans have cashed in with a vengeance with the launch of their new ad campaign.

Shot by high profile American photographer Terry Richardson the ads were designed to provoke and provoke they most definitely have.

Childhood and family groups claim the ads are suggestive of prostitution and oral sex and want them banned.

The Herald Sun newspaper has jumped on this with gusto. They’ve even mentioned it in their Sunday editorial piece.
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Problem is only one ad has actually run, a billboard across the road from the South Yarra station.

Fiona Jolly from the Advertising Standards Bureau said she had received a complaint about an image on the Lee website. Yes that’s right the website, not the poster.

In an interesting quote she said, “There is no formal mandatory process of assessing ads prior to publication.”

So it seems people are complaining about ads that haven’t even run yet!

Adding further fuel to the fire a marketing spokesman for Lee said he would have failed in his job if the ads hadn’t upset family groups.

Can't wait to see what happens when the ads actually start running.