Perth domain company cries foul over banned Pamela Anderson ads

Perth-based Internet domain name hosting company, Crazy Domains, is fighting against a ban placed on its TV commercial featuring ex-Baywatch bombshell, Pamela Anderson.

The clip starts off with Anderson heading to a meeting in corporate attire and leads on to an office worker fantasising about the Canadian actress clad in a bikini, salaciously rubbing cream on herself and a female co-worker. It began airing on TV in December 2009 during mature viewing time – after 8.30pm – but was taken off last month.

The Australian Standards Bureau (ASB) slapped a ban on the ad after receiving more than 15 viewer complaints. At least two-thirds of these were filed by women. A sample comment on the ASB’s case report claimed the commercial was “misogynistic” and irrelevant to the product on offer.

“It is all about sex [and has] nothing to do with domains, unless it’s to start a porn site,” it stated. Another comment said the ad “belittles women in the workforce and portrays them as sexual property”.

Crazy Domains is fighting the accusations and called in its legal team to defend its right to show the commercial. The company is now going through the appeals process and hopes to overturn the decision.

Managing director, Gavin Collins, alleged the ASB was not treating Crazy Domains judiciously and pointed to risqué ads from Coca Cola and deodorant manufacturer, Lynx, which all received similar complaints but were not taken off-air.

“The ASB is treating us differently under the same code of ethics as it did for the multinational likes of Coca Cola and Lynx and that just doesn’t seem fair,” he said. “I believe it is trying to set a precedent here with regards to supposed objectification of women but it is going about it the wrong way and punishing us for something that should have been done before.”

All the controversy has not put a dampener on Crazy Domains’ plans to release more commercials featuring Anderson. The second video, dubbed ‘Pure Cream’, is still in production, although Collins was uncertain whether it would now release it on television.

“We’re getting a lot of publicity on the Internet over this and our YouTube counter has gone gangbusters,” he said.

Anderson rose to fame after staring as a foxy lifesaver in the 1990s TV drama, Baywatch. She is known for her surgically-enhanced figure and her turbulent love-life. So what does she have to say about the whole ordeal?

“We speak to her every now and again,” Collins said. “She doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. Pamela is always surrounded by a certain amount of controversy no matter what she does so it’s basically part and parcel for her.”

The clip was intended to be the first part of a miniseries and can be viewed here. Pure Cream is expected to be released soon.

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