LONDON — A 30-second daytime advertisement featuring sex toy manufacturer Lovehoney is set to air next week for the first time on British television.
The ad will run Monday morning on ITV2 during “The Real Housewives of New York” and will also air for two more weeks on various channels.
The ad features a married couple kissing and then telling each other to “have a good day,” according to Telegraph.co.uk.
Lovehoney said the ad will “bring the message of sexual happiness in the U.K.”
The campaign, which received approval from an agency that ensures ads are compliant with industry guidelines, has been described as suggestive rather than explicit.
"Lovehoney is on a mission to spread the message of sexual happiness," Lovehoney founder Richard Longhurst told XBIZ.
"Even in these high-tech times the best way to reach a lot of people very quickly is through TV advertising. We're delighted that the TV regulators have cleared our ad for broadcast during the day. It's an enlightened decision that gives additional validation not only to Lovehoney's campaign but to the industry as a whole."
Tracey Cox, who sells sex toys through Lovehoney and is also a TV sex expert and author, described the advert as “stylish and light heartedly done” especially when compared to some music videos.
“If you look at the ad and compare it to any music video clip — like Rihanna for example — this is pre-school. What they get away with in music videos is crazy,” she said.
Cox said that British consumers need to open their minds and embrace adult toys. She added that divorce rates would be far lower if married couples were more adventurous in their sex lives.
“One in two marriages is failing and a way of dealing with that is to use sex toys. We should be encouraging it,” she said.
Ads for sex toys have never previously aired before 9 p.m.
