Oven cleaning advert 'not sexist'

An oven cleaner advertisement that claimed it made cleaning "so easy, even a man can do it" was not sexist, the advertising watchdog has ruled.

The TV advert for Oven Pride prompted 673 complaints, with most saying the advert was offensive because it suggested men were stupid and lazy.

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said most viewers would see the advert as light-hearted.

It showed a man reluctantly cleaning an oven watched by an annoyed woman.

At first the man raised his eyebrows and made childlike facial expressions before the woman handed him the Oven Pride product.

He then used it with exaggerated delight to get the job done quickly.

A voice-over then said: "Let Oven Pride do its thing so he can do more." At this the man looked aghast and the woman smiled.

The advert finished with the voice-over suggesting the process was "so easy, even a man can do it".

'Tongue in cheek'

A final caption read: "Note: No men were harmed in the making of this commercial."

As well as complaints that the advert was sexist because of the impression it could give of men, some viewers also thought it was demeaning to women.

They complained that the advert suggested that cleaning was generally a woman's job.

Manufacturer HomePride said the advert was not intended to cause offence but was trying to raise awareness of the product by using "tongue-in-cheek humour".

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed with the company and failed to uphold the complaints.

In its ruling the ASA said: "We noted that the ad used mild humour to refer to traditional gender stereotypes but considered that the overall impression was such that it did not portray either gender in a way that stigmatised, humiliated or undermined them by using harmful stereotypes.

"We noted some might consider the humour in the ad in poor taste but concluded that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence."

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