These reports are case summaries of complaints which appeared to raise issues of substance in relation to the interpretation of the ITC Advertising Standards Code. Summary statistics of non-substantive complaints can be found in the full reports which are obtainable from the ITC.
HAVING BABIES PARTWORK
Complaint from: 27 viewers
Background
Advertising for this part-work magazine featured numerous images related to pregnancy including a shot of a new-born baby. Various pages from the magazine were also shown and one of these included a full-frontal photograph of a naked woman.
Viewers complained that the images of a naked woman and a bloodied baby were either too shocking to be shown before the watershed or contained too much nudity for daytime viewing. Five viewers reported seeing the commercial during children's programming, which they felt was particularly inappropriate scheduling.
Assessment
The ITC viewed the commercial which it found to be neither gratuitous nor sensationalist. The magazine was concerned with all aspects of having babies and treated the subject in a factual manner. With that in mind the ITC did not find the content inappropriate for general viewing but did agree with those viewers who felt that the shot of full-frontal nudity and the new-born baby were inappropriate images for advertising shown during children's programming.
The ITC advised the broadcasters that a restriction keeping the advertising away from programming made specifically for children should have been applied to this commercial and instructed that such a restriction must be imposed if the advertising were to return to air in future. The advertising had finished its scheduled run during the course of the investigation.
Conclusion
Five complaints about inappropriate scheduling during children's programmes upheld.
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