Complainees said the ad was "overtly sexual" and could be seen by children (!)
There were only two posters, I believe close to Heaven and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Good news that the ASA hasn't caved into the anti-gay prudes this time.
'The ASA noted Online Buddies had booked locations which were close to gay clubs but which were also away from schools or businesses that offered children-based services and that they believed both the locations and image were relevant to the advertised product. We understood the ad was a large billboard and that all the complainants had seen it in its first location before it had been moved. We acknowledged Online Buddies' attempts to restrict the ad, both before it was displayed and after they became aware of complaints made to the ASA.
'We recognised that the image in the ad was relevant to the advertised product. However, we noted that the couple were shown bare-chested and from the chest up only and it was therefore unclear whether they were naked or not. We noted that the eyes of one man were closed whilst the eyes of the other appeared to be seductively looking at him and that their lips were parted as if they were about to kiss. Although we considered the image could be seen as sexual and the ad's size could draw attention to the sexual nature of their embrace, we considered the image of the embracing couple who were about to kiss was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.
'On this point, we investigated the ad under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 4.1 (Harm and Offence), but did not find it in breach.'
From the adjudication.
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