An advertising poster showing a nude couple to promote reading has drawn unveiled outrage, with complaints ranging from "pornographic" to "gratuitous" and "unsuitable for children."
The Advertising Standards Authority here says in its monthly report that at least 315 people condemned the ad showing a naked woman straddling a naked man, each engrossed in a book. The online bookseller BOL.com posted it late last year, says Reuters.
But the ASA refused to uphold the complaints, saying the couple was clearly not engaged in sexual activity.
M&C Saatchi, the ad agency for BOL, tells Reuters consumer research across all ages indicated they believed the ad witty, lighthearted, and a tongue-in-cheek reference to readers' love of books. The agency had instructed contractors not to place the ad near schools or churches.
The BOL ad didn't draw near as many complaints as a flyer promoting Safe Sex Week some time back, featuring the Pope saying "Always wear a condom" - that one drew 1,200 complaints, the ASA tells Reuters.
