AN AD FOR a tampon which received 84 complaints, prompting widespread anger, will not feature on TV in its current format again after the advertiser decided against seeking a review of the decision made by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland. 

In July, it emerged that a Tampax “tampons and tea” advertisement received 84 complaints against from members of the public.

Some complainants said that the advertisement was offensive and that it used an inappropriate manner to discuss a sensitive topic.

They said the advertisement was over-descriptive and had been expressed inappropriately with excessive detail.

Complaints of sexual innuendo said that the phrase “get ‘em up there, girls” had sexual connotations and that the advertisement was sexualising the wearing of tampons.

Proctor and Gamble responded that the intention of the advertisement was not “to have sexual connotations or to offend in any way”.

You can read the ad in full here.

The ban itself prompted complaints from members of the public who said that an informative advert about how to properly use a tampon should be encouraged and not banned. 

A statement from the ASAI this afternoon said Procter and Gamble informed it that it was not going to appeal the decision. It also said it was aware of the commentary surrounding the decision. The ASAI said it supports advertising of all product sectors, including tampons and other sanitary products. 

The statement reads: “In relation to the Tampax and Tea advertisement, the advertiser, Procter and Gamble, has informed us that they have chosen not to seek a review of the decision made by the Complaints Committee, the body responsible for complaint adjudication and which acts independently of the ASAI Board and the ASAI Executive.

“As a result, the decision remains that the ad should not run in the same format again. Advertising that is found in breach of the code can be published again if it is amended to bring it into compliance with the code.” 

“We acknowledge that there has been a lot of commentary on the ruling and would like to reiterate that the ASAI fully supports the advertising of all product sectors, including tampons and other sanitary products, in any media or on any platform. Awareness, education and informational ads are all totally acceptable as long as they are compliant with the code. Each ad is judged on its own particular merits, taking account of the content and the context.”