'Joke' USB fertility test ad ruled ok

An advert offering a 'USB Fornication Optimizer' has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The adverts were run by Boffer.co.uk, a site that descibes itself as "the best website ever" and offers daily deals on various gadgets such as digital cameras and MP3 players.

After several complaints from members of the public that it was not clear the ad was meant to be a joke and that it could cause offense, the advert was investigated under the ASA's rules on decency but was not found to be in breach.

"Here at Boffer we love our customers. The only complaint we have is we don't have enough of them. We have decided that you guys will have to help us by manufacturing new customers," the spoof advert read.

The ad then went on to explain that the joke product, the USB Fornication Optimizer, could help couples find out when the best time to conceive would be.

"The process starts off much like most such tests. You pee on the stick. Take the end of the stick and put it into the USB Fornication Optimizer. When the light goes blue on the optimizer, plug it into the USB port on your PC," the advert said.

In response to complaints that it wasn't clear that the advert was a joke, Boffer argued that its target audience "were unlikely to have been misled into thinking the product was genuine".

However, the company accepted that the subject matter in question could have been a sensitive matter for a minority and said that it regretted any offence caused.

The ASA found in Boffer's favour, saying that anyone familiar with the company would be aware that it was a joke.

"We considered that the target audience, who had visited the site before, were likely to be aware of its humour; they were therefore unlikely to be misled into believing that Boffer were offering a free fertility monitor," the ruling said.

The Boffer site carries details of the ruling and says: "We feel we are going to have to tone down our descriptions and make Boffer more politically correct."

"Our descriptions will no longer be fun. We will no longer have funny pictures," the message reads.

www.asa.org.uk
www.boffer.co.uk