Google bans US lingerie retailer ads
(11/12/2007)

Google has banned ads from US lingerie retailer Pampered Passions after deeming them ‘too sexy’ for the UK & European market.

The offending ads were part of Pampered Passions’ campaign inviting men to buy sexy lingerie for their girlfriends this Xmas. The suggestive tone and the mild nudity in the images, though, proved too much for Google who refused to allow the ads to be shown on their network.

Even though the ads are targeted exclusively at UK & European audiences and have very limited nudity and very mild content, Google have insisted on upholding stringent, often prudish guidelines that may seem sensible in the USA but come across as laughable here.

According to a Google representative, “The ad has been disapproved for adult content. Only family safe images will be approved. Images which are classified as non-family safe or adult content are disapproved and will not run. Your image contains nudity and mature themes.”

A spokesperson for Pampered Passions said, “Google’s refusal to show ads that are completely acceptable to UK audiences on their network is turning out to be an increasingly frequent occurrence. Google are an American company and while they might seem to be really ‘cool’ and ‘liberal’ in the USA, their policies do seem rather conservative for European consumers.

“An outright ban on ads no ruder than a Christmas cracker joke and featuring less flesh than a swimwear catalogue seems pretty ‘uncool’ to us” they added.