Ad description
A paid-for Facebook ad for the game Top Girl, seen on 20 December 2024, featured a video of a young female character. The character was shown on the street in the rain wearing wet clothes. A speech bubble stated, “Boss, I forgot my umbrella. Can you give me a ride home?" Two options appeared: “FOR SURE” and “NO WAY”. The first option was selected. The character was then shown sitting in the back seat of a car with her knees drawn up. A speech bubble stated, “Boss, wearing wet clothes is really uncomfortable. Can I change clothes in your car?” From the two options, “FOR SURE” was selected, and heart emojis appeared around the character’s face. From the driver’s viewpoint, a button with the option “PEEK” appeared. The character was then shown wearing a different dress. A speech bubble stated, “Thank you, Boss. Do you want to come to my house for a drink?” From the two options, “FOR SURE” was selected. The character was then shown sitting on a kitchen worktop holding a drink and wearing a different dress. A speech bubble stated, “Boss, it’s quite late now. Do you want to stay the night?" From the two options, “STAY” or “LEAVE”, the cursor hovered over “STAY” but eventually selected “LEAVE”. The character appeared shocked and unhappy. Text stated “YOU FAILED” with a “TRY AGAIN” button beneath. Various “Play Now” still images were shown in rotation, including one that stated “Boss, the next part is for 18 and over”.
Issue
The complainant, who believed that the ad was sexualised and objectified women, challenged whether the ad was harmful, offensive and irresponsible.
Response
A3 Games Pte Ltd (A3 Games) did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA was concerned by A3 Games’ lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code, which was a breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay). We reminded them of their responsibility to respond promptly to our enquiries and told them to do so in future.
The opening scene of the ad featured a female character in profile in a pose that emphasised her breasts and buttocks. She was wearing wet clothes through which her underwear could be seen. Although the ad did not feature nudity, we considered the styling and poses shown throughout were likely to be seen as sexually suggestive.
Although we acknowledged that the female character appeared to be a willing participant in the seduction scenario and played an active role, we considered that the main focus of the ad was on the sexualised depiction of her body. We considered that portraying her in that way objectified her by presenting her as a sexual object for the purpose of titillating viewers. That impression was reinforced by the player- choice buttons, which included an invitation to “PEEK” at the character while she was changing her clothes.
Because we considered the ad was sexualised and objectified women, we further considered it was likely to cause serious and widespread offence and included a gender stereotype in a way that was likely to cause harm. We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and breached the Code.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 (Social responsibility) and 4.1 and 4.9 (Harm and offence).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told A3 Games Pte Ltd t/a Top Girl to ensure that their ads were socially responsible and did not cause serious or widespread offence, including by featuring a harmful gender stereotype by objectifying and sexualising women. We referred the matter to the CAP Compliance team.
