An ad for a forklift featuring a woman dressed in dominatrix-like clothing has landed a New Zealand company in trouble from the advertising watchdog.
The ad showed a woman holding a heavy chain, with a forklift in the background. Text read: “You know you’re not the first….But does that really matter? Used Forklifts.”
According to stuff.co.nz, The Advertising Standards Authority agreed with complaints that the ad was offensive, saying it used inappropriate sexual appeal and ''sexualised and objectified'' women.
The complainant argued it was ''just offensive to see that women's bodies are used to sell a service that clearly targets men''.
''It becomes a sort of attention-seeking behaviour that is in many ways detrimental to how all women are viewed,'' the authority was told.
The Advertising Code in New Zealand states that products cannot be advertised by using exploitative or degrading sexual images, especially if the product is unrelated to such images.
The advertiser, Independent Forklifts, said the ad had been running for three years without any issues.
The company must now remove the ad; no punishment will be handed down.
Image: independentforklifts.com