ASAS gets tough on lingerie ads

In the latest development, The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore has sent a reminder to media owners such as JCDecaux, MediaCorp and others after it received various complaints of lingerie and bikini ads near schools.The ASAS confirmed the development, declining to reveal the offending brands.In the reminder, the ASAS said that such advertisements should also not be placed near schools and places of religious worship.Marketing spoke to brands such as H&M (pictured) and others, which have been running regular campaigns featuring its seasonal fashion lines including bikinis.Lisa Chai, PR and marketing manager for H&M Singapore said the group had informed and obtained approval from the media owner as well as the relevant government agency to place its ads."The guideline is to avoid the out-of-home panels in front of schools and places of worship and this is being adhered to," Chai said.She added that the fashion brand had taken the feedback from ASAS and removed ads from affected sites immediately.Mikki Seng, trainer and marketing executive at Wacoal said that the ruling did not affect Wacoal as it did not place ads near schools."Usually when we plan our advertising campaigns, we would have found out from our media partners if lingerie ads are permitted, therefore, most times, we would only advertise in print media and outdoor media that we have worked with before and online."However, she added that the ruling meant that Wacoal is unable to advertise in many platforms like MRT (stations) and buildings, and thus it felt "restricted in terms of planning". "However, we understand and respect the decision by ASAS," Seng said.Triumph could not be reached at the time of publishing.