Watchdog joins attack on motor show by branding lacy bra poster 'tasteless'

The advertising standards watchdog stepped into the row over the British International Motor Show yesterday, saying an advertisement for the event showing a woman in a lacy bra to promote "boys' toys" was "tasteless".

The remarks from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) came after Patricia Hewitt, the Trade and Industry Secretary and minister for Women, attacked the adas "pathetic" and "old fashioned rubbish". It urges women to find a way to "your man's heart" by driving to the show which features "boys' toys".

Ms Hewitt, who visited the show in Birmingham yesterday, repeated her attack and said the car industry needed to change. "If industry is serious about getting more women in to work for them and getting more women training and qualifying and working as engineers then they do need to change these old stereotypes," she said on GMTV. "This is out of date and it is going against what the individual car-makers themselves are saying, which is that half their potential consumers are women."

But the organisers of the motor show defended its advert and said it was "witty". It said it reflected the theme of the event which was emotional engagement with cars.

"The advert itself is quite witty and quite funny," said a spokesman for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which organises the show. "The irony is that it was designed by a woman and it's aimed at women.

"The ASA failed to find a problem with it after receiving just one complaint."

The Advertising Standards Authority received a complaint about the ad when it appeared in the Radio Times earlier this year. The watchdog decided not to ban the ad but said it would consider future complaints.

"Our rules state that they shouldn't cause serious or widespread offence although we considered that the ad was tasteless," he said. "If we did receive other complaints in the context of the poster we would deal with them separately."

Car manufacturers said they did not believe advertisements showing women as sexual objects were effective.

A spokesman for Vauxhall, which used Ruby Wax in one of its ads, said: "We wouldn't use that kind of advertising to promote our cars."

Ford said one of its most successful ads showed a woman "in control" slamming the door of her car and writing "no" in the sand after her boyfriend proposed to her and flew off on holiday.

"Women drivers are vital to our industry," said a Ford spokeswoman.

"They are 50 per cent of the car owning public and 80 per cent of decisions on buying a car involve a woman. Our advertisements reflect that."