Ginger-haired man right to see red over advert

The Advertising Standards Complaints Board has defended the honour of redheads.

C. Irwin and others complained to the board after seeing a television commercial which features a ginger-headed student misinterpreting his teacher's praise for a new rum-based drink and "romantically lunging" at her.

"I am a 21-year-old red-headed male," Mr Irwin said. "This advertisement offended me greatly, to the extent that I stopped watching the movie I had been enjoying with my wife and immediately began searching for an avenue of complaint."

Mr Irwin felt the advertisement mocked redheads, but advertising company Colenso said it was in no way intended to offend.

"We were conscious not to cause offence to ginger-headed people and tested the initial concept and the finished commercial with the target market," Colenso said.

"We also addressed the issue specifically with several ginger-haired people, none of whom found it offensive or likely to offend."

In fact, said Colenso, the client was himself a redhead and had approved the concept.

But the board was unanimous in its view that the commercial had caused widespread offence to red-headed men in particular, and its humorous intent did not save it.

"Not only were the words offensive, but also the fact that the young male student had 'groped' the teacher in a sexual manner."

The board upheld the complaint.

- NZPA