Paint ad beyond the pale
‘Misogyny’ row as story suggests a mother-to-be was unfaithful
A BIZARRE advert for paint has been branded misogynistic by TV viewers over a slur on one of its key characters.
The Crown Paints ad, first broadcast this week, features a chorus of singers on a giant decorator’s roller singing about the love story of ‘Hannah and Dave’, who met four years ago at an ‘illegal rave’ and have now made the decision to start a family.
When the singers reveal the couple may repaint their grey spare room as a nursery, a male vocalist delivers the lyric: ‘Hannah’s hoping for a girl, Dave just hopes that it’s his.’
The suggestion that she might not have been faithful provoked outrage online, while the Advertising Standards Authority said yesterday it had received 53 complaints about the commercial.
Comedian Jenny Eclair wrote on Twitter: ‘ I’m watching the #crownpaint “baby coming” ad and I can’t be on my own thinking beyond mad. “He’s hoping for a girl, he’s hoping that it’s his”. I find this massively offensive.’
She added: ‘Hey @crownpaints, get that offensive baby ad off air – what were you thinking!!!? What on Earth possessed you?’
The couple’s story is part of a series of ‘life stories’ meant to inspire viewers to make their world ‘better, brighter and beautifuller’ with Crown Paints. The adverts are appearing across TV and social media targeting the 25 to 40-year-old audience. Other ‘life stories’ feature a young man who has flown the nest and a woman who decides to redecorate to impress a love interest.
But playing on the company’s sloit’s gan ‘it’s not just paint, it’s personal’, a Twitter user said: ‘It’s not just paint, it’s derogatory to women.’
Another said: ‘I always used to use @ crownpaints … but it’ll be @duluxuk from now on … well done on losing so many customers with one ill-thought out and misogynistic ad.’ A further complaint claimed the company was stuck in the 1970s.
Several viewers said they had reported the commercial to the advertising regulator, which is now assessing the complaints to determine whether there are grounds for an investigation.
A spokesman for Crown Paints said: ‘ Our series of life story adverts are intended to portray special moments in life in a humorous way, from first homes and first relationships to first babies. There was certainly no intention for the ad to appear sexist in any way – we are a fan of strong female characters and Hannah in this particular ad is shown to be an empowered woman making her own choices, including around parenthood and if and when she changes her mind on the matter.
‘We do however appreciate that people have differing views on humour and whilst the advert has been broadly well received, we apologise if any of the lyrics have caused offence to anyone.’
‘We’re a fan of strong females’