Crown Paints has been trending on social media after the Advertising Standards Authority confirmed it has received several complaints about its latest ‘Hannah and Dave’ ad’s perceived sexism.
The ad, from Cheshire agency driven, tells the story, in song, of a young couple’s four-year relationship, and how they are now expecting a baby even though both have historically been unsure about entering into parenthood.
The line that has caused particular offence reveals that “now a baby’s coming and they don’t know what it is. Hannah’s hoping for a girl, Dave’s just hoping that it’s his.”
Comedian Jenny Eclair was among those demanding for action against the ad. She Tweeted: “I find this massively offensive – WTAF,” adding that the ad implied Hannah had “conned a man into fatherhood.”
Author Sue Barnard (@AuthorSusanB) agreed with Eclair. She said: “That line suggests that she’s been sleeping around and he doesn’t trust her. Misogyny on a stick!”
Kirsty Pearson (@KirstyPeason12) noted that not only adults find the ad offensive. She tweeted: “Such an obviously awful advert that my 13 Yr old immediately said ‘well, we won’t be buying any Crown paint then!’”
Not everyone was in agreement, however. Lindsey V-L (@VdashL) claimed she was not at all offended, and added: “it’s just an attempt to draw a wry smile as a hook into the mind of the customer.”
Crofty (@Batmanslass) took a slightly more cynical approach: “I think more and more adverts are being deliberately offensive so they get extra publicity for everyone being enraged,” she wrote.
Neal Owen (@TheDainCurse) concurred, saying: “So people remember the Crown Paint advert, celebs raise it’s profile on social media and it gets shared around like a hot potato. It’s paint, it’s an advert, it does what it’s supposed to do.”
For Jude Wallis (@Wifeymum1), the ad raised slightly more prosaic concerns. She said: “I was worried that the little people on the roller would die a horrible painty death.”
Crown Paints said in a statement that the ad was “intended to be a humorous celebration of special life moments that prompt people to paint their homes, in this case focusing on Hannah and Dave, a happy couple expecting a baby together. Whilst the ad has been broadly well received, we appreciate that people have differing views on humour and we apologise if any of the lyrics have caused offence.”
The ad’s creators, driven, added: “The ad is one in a series that is intended to celebrate special moments in life in a humorous way. Hannah is a strong female character shown to be in a happy relationship with Dave as they prepare for their new arrival. There are no negative connotations intended from any of the lyrics and…we apologise if any of the lines have caused offence.”
The ASA said it had received 58 complaints about the advert and was “currently assessing [them] carefully to determine whether there are grounds for an investigation”.
