Ryanair battles ASA over 'saucy schoolgirl' ad

Good advertising

So, let me get this straight... they placed an advert in a few newspapers, which a couple of people complained about.

As a result of their complaints, loads more people saw it (when the ASA didn't like it).

As a result of this withdrawal request, a lot more people will see it.

By refusing to comply with the ASA, even more people will see it.

So to conclude, publishing a controversial ad, then refusing to withdraw it is the best way to reach the widest demographic.

Something seems wrong there.

Nice

When I read this story on the BBC website earlier I was disappointed they hadn't included the picture. I knew I could count on The Register to satisfy my requirements.

Missing the point

RyanAir are agressively (and, imho, deliberately) missing the point, aren't they?

It's not about how clothed or unclothed the model is - It's the association with under-age school-girls. And how about that crap about "fashionable among young women"? Do Brit 20-somethings really dress like Britney Spears, or is the RyanAir spokesthing lying through his crooked teeth?

Sorry, but few things rile me up quite as quickly as PR-bods faking outrage

how very benetton, FCUK...

Dont these guys consider their brand image.. the ad might not be so bad to most people, doesnt bother me. However you will still associate the base level of the ad to their brand.

So the fact they kick off with the ASA makes me place them in the gutter level of companies, ie dont care.. and therefore wont care about me if I was on their plane and further strengthens the fact I would never fly with them.

Looking at the sales of French Connection since they started their FCUK stuff, they are now seen as a cheap and chav clothing brand. I dont know anybody that will shop there now.

Cheap flash in the pan tricks, in the long run cost you dearly...

Uniformly unsuitable?

What have school uniform standards dropped to!

<cough>

J

So how the Hell ...

did the St Trinion's movie get advertised then.

Non comprende

So it's okay for Britney Spears to make a shed load of cash sexualising the schoolgirl image in her videos which are repeated endlessly on public television (thereby exciting poor old Alistair Campbell to a frenzy of pop worshipfulness) around the world.

And it's okay for the 2006 UK Eurovision entry to represent schoolgirls sexually writhing over their desks to a really dire piece of crap rap (before being soundly trounced by the more artistically creative Lordi).

But 13 people found this rather tame image "offensive"?

Who died? Who was injured? Who was cheated? Where was society, or any members of it, harmed or defrauded?

I think those 13 people should be told to &^%$ Off and get a life!

cheap publicity

ryanair are masters of this sort of thing:

step 1: push boundaries until someone complains

step 2: wait patiently for authorities to react

step 3: act all aggreived and baffled and issue sarcastic statement

step 4: watch as media give it wide coverage, worth orders of

magnitude more than initial add

step 5: watch the cash roll in

i'd rather stick pins in my eyes than fly with these b*stards, but you can't help but admire their gall.

ryanair's full response is worth a chuckle (link), as are many of their other news releases.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=08&month=jan&story=reg-en-300108-2

ryanair ads should be banned on principle

The sooner the flying weasels are out of business the better.

Am I going to hell...

...for thinking she looked good? No, because there's no way she's school age. As they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Schoolgirls

I think some of you people are confusing depiction with reality. Do you have kids? It does not matter if the woman is "legal", it is the depiction of her as an hottie underage girl who is dodgy. "page 3 stunnas" are not represented as under age school girls (afaik).

It's a shame Ryanair get the publicity though, its an irresponsible company as it is.

@Chad H

Why the downer on RyanAir? I have flown with them many times with absolutely no complaints. Their surcharges are all obvious on the website, so if you are not happy with them fly with someone else. If you check in online and just take a carry on bag they are usually the cheapest way of getting from A to B. They fly from my local airport and the only delay I have ever had was about 30 minutes due to an issue with air traffic control, not the airline.

Accept the service for what it is - Cheap, cheerful, zero frills - and they are great. If this isn't what you want then you can pay the (substantial) extra to fly with BA or go by train.

Good for them

There is no way any reasonable person would look at this model and believe she is under 18. This is not kiddie pron and doesn't encourage anybody over or underage to commit any crime. What boundary does this push that hasn't been pushed multiple times before?

Good on Ryanair for standing up to the ASA and the anti-pedo hysteria brigade.

Yum! Sauce?

I *always* link teenagers with sexually provocative behaviour.

IT angle? Who cares?!

Please Miss...

She's obviously not teenage, so I have to assume that she's the teacher. I'm sure I need some remedial education in something. Anything.

I thought this was a joke but...

...maybe it's true: The real reason for paedophilia is sexy kids.

The ASA certainly seem to think so

Mine's the mackintosh and Cosmo Smallpiece glasses.

St Trinnians

So its not ok to have an obviously no school girl dressed like that, but it is OK to have a whole film of girls dressed like that - I am OFC talking about St trinians, all of the films, not just the latest one. FFS this sort of thing was ok in the 50's - just look at the original St Trinians films with Alastair Sim and George Cole, all the older girls wore stuff alot more provocative than that.

methinks the ASA needs to pull it's collective thumb out of its bum, take a step back and take a good long look at itself

nice pic of the gilr though, and yes i would hit it

oh and whilst we are on the subject - IT angle?

@how very benetton, FCUK...

er.. have you ever flown ryanair? they don't care, the seats are shit, you have to fight for one, the lounge sucks, you pay for everything, there's screamingly load advertising everywhere, and it's a yellow plane.

you want good service go for ba or virgin. ryanair don't care about those customers, they sell cheap flights to people who don't want to pay a lot, so this ad kinda goes straight to the right people. seems like perfectly good advertising to me

paris, cause even she wouldn't travel by ryanair even if they have her free tickets and it was the last plane on earth

The REAL Issue...is much wider.

Listen fellow posters, there is a more serious issue associated with this Ryanair dodginess... Why is it acceptable generally for us to be attracted to, and 'joke' about, women who are above school age but wear school uniforms? I can see why the advertisement is offensive to some; but in society I find the British attitude to schoolgirls who are actually schoolwomen a bit hypocritical...

The British press has a problem with reporting on peadophilia accurately, but then it's suddenly fine and dandy for a large company to have a tongue in cheek joke about naughty schoolgirls, who aren't girls nor at school, but that because of that it's ok to pretend they're at school, but not really. WHAT?! Not only does none of the theory make real sense, in a real mature society it just should not be acceptable to joke about something that is basically playing on the fact that schoolgirls can look mature and be found attractive by some men when they're actually likely only 16 years old. Putting an older model in those clothes and joking on the fact she's being 'naughty' whilst also being a youngster at school isn't amusing or acceptable, because it's implying that 16 year old girls who dress a bit provocatively enjoy the same thing.

It's very convoluted subject, but I have to say I don't think it's okay to have page3 in rubbish newspapers not worthy of the 10pence they ask, and again it's not alright to play on the supposed schoolgirl sexual allure to make more cash in the world.

Some-one learned a new word

Just read the ryanair press release on their web site, and I can only assume some-one is tickled pink by the word qango. I think the use it about every second word, do you think they are trying to get some point across.

Flown with ryanair once to Glasgow Prestwick airport, sorry but somebody should point out Prestwick is a long long way from Glasgow. Easyjet fly to Glasgow Airport which is about 10 mins by car (outside rush hour) from Glasgow.

Strike one for RyanAir

"This bunch of unelected self-appointed dimwits are clearly incapable of fairly and impartially ruling on advertising."

Way to go, guys! Plus your tabloid-cheap Sarko+dumbwit ad here in France was also worth a chuckle. Serves our attention-grabbing joke of a president right.

Little Miss RyanAir

"This bunch of unelected self-appointed dimwits"

I love RyanAir. Ever since their reaction to airport security restrictions, they've had my utmost respect.

So based on this new Calvinistic approach, will they now pull all the adverts for The Garage nightclub that feature photos from thier "school disco" night? Or any such club night for that matter?

Besides... the number of teenage pregnancies in the UK is more likely to show school girls as being promiscuous than this advert is. Dirty buggers!

I love Ryanair

I am old enough to remember when airlines used to shaft us. You needed a second mortgage to fly a scheduled flight, and ordinary folk used trains and boats. After Ryanair, you fly anywhere for the price of a round of drinks. It's no surprise that they have become one of the largest airlines in the world. People who complain about them yearn for the old days, when you paid vast amounts of money for pointless services. And you did not have to rub shoulders with common folk.

@A/C

Maybe you need to learn the difference between reality and fantasy.

Fact: Watching a horror movie does not turn most normal people into axe murderers

Fact: Watching a War movie doesn't turn you into evil dictator or heroic general

Fact: Watching a car chase scene doesn't turn you into a joyrider

but seeing an adult in a school uniform turns you into pedo? get a grip, stop this "Think of the Children" bollocks

But then again, I guess the millions of people that have gone to the "School Disco" nights are all a bunch of kiddie fiddlers.

Oh one more little fatc for you:

FACT: Most child abuse is commited by people known to the child, not complete strangers. So I'd be more warey of your relatives being left alone with your kids than guys who like the model ;-)

Hmm

A friend of mine is a 52 year old transvestite with a passion for school uniforms. I think this advert is discriminatory towards school uniform wearing transvestites and rightly deserves to be banned.

We need ryan air

@Chad H

We need Ryan air to keep the chav scum off the airlines I prefer to fly on.

</coat>