ASA launches probe into Poundland's naughty Christmas elf campaign as firm brands investigation 'storm in a teacup'

'Offensive': The ASA received about 80 complaints
Twitter
Eleanor Rose3 January 2018

The Advertising Standards Authority has launched an investigation into a Poundland advertising campaign which featured images of a toy elf using a teabag in a vulgar fashion.

Poundland has hit back, joking that the probe was a "storm in a tea cup".

The ASA received about 80 complaints about the firm's series of Christmas-themed adverts, which were shared on Twitter and Facebook.

They show the naughty festive helper in a string of bizarre sexual scenarios.

One shows the elf dangling a tea bag over a female doll asking: "How do you like your tea? One lump or two?"

Many of the complaints argued the ads were "offensive for depicting toy characters in a sexualised manner", according to the ASA.

The ads were spread in tweets and posts to Facebook
Twitter

"Some believed the ads were unsuitable because they were displayed in a targeted medium where children could see them," a spokesman told the Standard.

Responding to the investigation, Poundland said the complaints "contrasted with thousands of people who said they loved our naughty elf pictures".

"Not least because it reminded them that Britain is famous for the Saucy postcard and Panto," the company said in an emailed statement.

"We're just pleased the number of people who didn't get the joke is so small."

One of Poundland's provocative adverts featured the pointy-eared festive character playing cards with naked dolls alongside the caption: "Joker, joker, I really want to poker."

Another bore the caption "Don't tell Rudolph I've found a new piece of ass” and showed the smiling elf riding a soft toy donkey.

Twinings, whose box of Classics tea was shown in the "teabagging" image, made clear at the time it did not endorse the campaign, saying: "We are aware of an image that is circulating that misuses our product.

"We had no involvement in this and it is obviously not reflective of our brand values."

Poundland later posted to Twitter an altered version of the advert without the Twinings box.

The firm hit back in December at claims that the campaign was in poor taste, saying it was “proud” of its work and adding that the positive response was “overwhelming”.

Twitter

It now has the right to reply to the ASA probe and has been invited to give evidence to prove the ads did not break advertising codes.

A ruling on whether the ads should be banned is expected in the coming weeks.

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