Mattessons must think twice about where it sticks its sausages next time after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) enforced a watershed ban on a series of radio adverts from the Kerry Foods brand, according to Utalkmarketing.
Four radio ads promoting Mattessons smoked sausages must no longer air at times when children are likely to be listening, after viewers complained to the watchdog that the ads contained inappropriate sexual innuendo.
The ads, which were broadcast on Forth One, Clyde Radio and Real Radio, featured a male voice making statement such as: "Think about all the things you can stick this tasty, extraordinarily large sausage in”, “Give me a call and tell me where you like to stick it” and “You’ve all been calling in, telling me where you like to stick it.”
Another ad featured a female voice stating, “There’s nothing like a saucy sausage”, and another said, “People are always calling by for a bit and my husband Roger loves it".
The ASA received a total of 21 complaints from listeners who felt the ads were offensive and unsuitable to be broadcast at times when children would be listening.
Kerry Foods said in response that the ad was intended to be light-hearted and a comical portrayal of people’s desire for the product.
The watchdog said, “We considered that young children would be unlikely to understand the innuendo in the ads. However, although it was not sexually explicit, the innuendo was sufficiently strong to present a problem if it was heard by older children.”
The ASA acknowledged the tongue-in-cheek tone of the ads and the fact that they clearly related to food but concluded that the ads must not be broadcast in or around programmes likely to be heard by a significant number of children.
