A suggestive car advert that shows a female mannequin with erect nipples has been cleared of causing offence by the advertising watchdog, despite attracting 425 complaints.
Hundreds of people complained that the cinema and TV commercial for Mazda - in which a shop window dummy becomes "aroused" after a ride in the back of a car - was offensive, demeaned women and was unsuitable for children.
The advert is the fifth most complained about TV commercial of recent times, with 425 people contacting the Advertising Standards Authority.
However, the ASA decided that the sexual innuendo in the ad was subtle enough to escape the attention of children and it accepted arguments that the depiction of sexuality was akin to that found in a Carry On film.
The ASA rejected all complaints against the Mazda campaign, created by JWT, a division of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP.
It ruled that the ad was "based on mildly sexual material and was not excessively explicit".
"We understood that the depiction of a mannequin becoming aroused by the excitement of a journey in a car may not have been to everyone's taste but we did not consider it likely to cause serious or widespread offence," the ASA said.
The ASA ruled that the intention was not to insult or offend, "but to humorously present the absurd notion that an inanimate object could be turned on in the first place".
JWT said that the advert highlighted the exciting aspects of a type of car that may be regarded by some sections of the audience as "uninspiring".
The agency pointed to consumer research that showed UK audiences reacted positively to the ad and its adult theme.
JWT said that the use of mannequins instead of real people contributed to the humour of the ad.
The ad shows a man loading a number of female mannequins, dressed in lingerie, into the back of a Mazda. As the man drives, a mannequin's hand hitches up its negligee to expose the top of its stockings. When the driver parks outside a lingerie store and lifts one of the mannequins out of the car its nipples are erect and the sound of a woman's giggle can be heard.
"The all new Mazda 5. Surprisingly stimulating," the voiceover says.
A post-7.30pm scheduling restriction was placed on the ad for TV to avoid times when young children might be watching.
The Cinema Advertising Association, which approves adverts before they are screened in cinemas, said that the sexual reference in the advert was mild in comparison with many films given a PG rating.
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