SHARE
COPY LINK

ADVERTISING

Swiss bikini advert for cigars ruled ‘sexist’

Switzerland’s truth in advertising commission has called for the withdrawal of a “sexist” advertisement for cigars that shows four women posing in a pool in skimpy string bikinis.

Swiss bikini advert for cigars ruled ‘sexist’
Bikini-clad women in Villiger's ad. Image:Schweizerische Lauterkeitscommission/Detail (DR)

The commission (Schweizerische Lauterkeitscommission) ruled that Villiger Cigars broke Swiss advertising rules by portraying women in a sexist way.

The ad shows the bosomy women standing together in the shallow end of a swimming pool wearing red, blue, black and green bikinis that match the colours of different cigar tube containers shown separately.

Beneath the photo is a slogan, which roughly translated from the German says: Variety is  pleasure (abwechslung macht freude).

Below the slogan are pictures of the cigar tubes.

Responding to a complaint brought by an unidentified party, the commission found that the image discriminated against women.

In the summary of its ruling, published on its website, the commission said the women have nothing to do with the product being promoted and are used only in an “eye-catching way”.

The women are not smoking cigars and there is “no relation between the women and the tobacco” and therefore the advertising is sexist, the commission said.

It recommended the company withdraw the advert.

The commission did not say where the advertising was shown and Villiger has yet to respond publicly to the ruling.

Founded in 1966, the commission is run by the Swiss advertising industry as a form of self-regulation meant to prevent false or unethical advertising.

The commission includes representatives for consumers and the advertising and media industries.

The body says it respects a code established by the International Chamber of Commerce and aims in part to protect consumers.

Villiger Cigars is a family-run company established in Pfeffikon in the canton of Lucerne in1888, where it is still headquartered.

The company says that it produces 1.2 billion cigars a year.

An image of the full advert can be seen below:

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

ADVERTISING

‘The Vikings also wore helmets’: Danes draw on marauding past for cycle safety ad

The Danish Road Safety Council has put the Scandinavian country's Viking past to a hilarious new use: convincing macho Danish men to wear cycle helmets.

'The Vikings also wore helmets': Danes draw on marauding past for cycle safety ad
Svend the Viking does not want to ruin his braids. Photo: &Co

The council’s new advert, “Helmet has always been a good idea”, brings together two somewhat incongruous aspects of Danish life — the country’s love of cycling and its Viking past, using humour to show up some of the silly reasons people give themselves not to wear cycle helmets. 

The advert starts with the imposing Viking chief Svend rousing his men for their next invasion of England. To rhythmic chanting and the blowing of horns, he mounts his steed, brandishing his thick and heavy sword. 

Then, suddenly, his young son comes running bearing his helmet. Svend ignores him, and utters a cry: “To the ships!”. 

After a pause, one of his men nervously asks: “shouldn’t you have a helmet on, Svend?”. 

“No, it’s annoying and it makes my scalp itch,” Svend responds sheepishly. 

“I’m a careful rider,” he adds, slightly desperately.

“What do I do when I get there? Run around in a silly helmet?” he adds. 

Then he roars, “It ruins my braids!” 

It’s only when his wife comes out that he finally dons his gleaming headpiece and with the cheers of his fellow marauders all around him makes his way to the longships. 

Then the slogan — “A helmet has been a good idea for all time” — appears on the screen in rune-like writing. 

SHOW COMMENTS