The Advertising Standards Authority isn’t that impressed with an online adverts for the new comedy I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. In fact they’ve gone so far as to ban it. The advert in question appeared on Yahoo’s UK site and featured a trailer where various characters talk about oral sex, swear and generally be a bit risque.
There was no age restriction mechamism on the ad and the ASA was particularly worried by the fact there was no way to tell before the trailer started playing of the type of sexual content that would appear.
Paramount defended the ad saying that over 90% of Yahoo’s users were over 18 and that it was unlikely many children would have seen the advert. However it’s difficult to imagine they might not have thought at some point that there could have been a problem, as it doesn’t a take brain scientist.
It’s also rather ridicoulous that the ASA works so slowly, as the film came out in April, but the ad hasn’t been banned until now, while last year they banned a poster for the cinema release for Wanted, but not until the DVD had already come out. Surely if they’re going to act they need to do it faster, as there’s little point in banning things after the advert has run its course.
However if you are over 18 and want to see the offending red band trailer for the film, click below.