An advertisement for the sex-toy brand Sinful showing three vibrators on the back of Fredericia’s city buses has been replaced with a new motif after a public debate about what belongs in public space.
The ad, which carried the text “100 procent orgasmegaranti”, ran on the back of buses in Fredericia over the summer. DR reports that it set off a debate about whether advertisements for vibrators are appropriate on public transport, and that the campaign has now been swapped for a different Sinful ad.
Among the critics is Palle Dahl, who sits on Fredericia’s municipal council for Danmarksdemokraterne. Per DR, he argued that people who want to see such material can seek it out themselves, and that it should not appear on buses that the municipality pays to make free to use.
Sinful’s Amina Jenayah, who describes herself as an intimacy expert, rejected the criticism. According to DR, she said the ad is not inappropriate and that there is room for more open conversation about pleasure, bodies, sex and sexuality.
The replacement ad shows a woman with a melting ice cream and the text “gør sommeren mere Sinful”. Henrik Sørensen, director of Out of Home Media, which sells advertising space on the buses for local operators including in Fredericia, described the new motif as slightly less provocative, DR reports.
Local coverage and the wider campaign
Fredericia Avisen reported that the original ad showed the products in full size against a burgundy background, alongside the promise of a hundred percent orgasm guarantee. The outlet also quoted a local politician calling for the ads to be taken down.
As noted by frdb.dk, the matter reached the bus operator’s board, which was set to discuss whether the ads were unsuitable. The outlet added that the company had previously banned certain categories of advertising.
The vibrator ad was not limited to Fredericia. DR states that it also ran on buses elsewhere in Denmark, including in Aalborg, but that Fredericia is the only city where it has been taken down and replaced.
TV 2 Nord covered the same Sinful campaign in Aalborg and quoted a reader who reacted strongly to the ad. That coverage indicates the campaign drew attention in more than one Danish city.
According to DR, the original ad had been visible throughout the summer months before the change was made. The broadcaster links the replacement directly to the debate that followed the campaign, with the new motif now running in its place in Fredericia.
