People call for 'misogynistic' Crown Paints advert to be banned as it's a 'total disgrace'

A new TV advert for Crown Paints has received an onslaught of backlash, with viewers branding it as 'misogynistic' and 'offensive'.

What should have been a harmless, light-hearted musical number about an expecting couple who are planning to paint their spare room wound up with over 200 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, calling for it to be taken off air.

Watch the advert here:

The advert tells the story of Hannah and Dave who fell in love and moved in together after meeting at an illegal rave - though that's not the part of the story people had problems with.

Further along in the 60-second jingle, Hannah and Dave are expecting a baby together, which is where we hear the lyric: "Hannah's hoping for a girl, Dave's just hoping that it's his."

The lyric immediately sparked controversy online, with outraged viewers describing the joke as 'misogynistic' and 'abhorrent', and slamming the creative team behind it.

"This advert is a total disgrace" complained one viewer on Twitter.

"Misogynistic and in extremely poor taste. For paint! Plus it’s really really bad!"

Others appear to have taken issue with fictional character Hannah's pregnancy, after she originally said there was 'no way' she wanted a baby.

Another upset viewer tweeted: "Seriously bad advert. Women who don't want children are constantly told they will change their minds. This advert just plays to that false narrative."

Replying to the negative feedback, a representative from Crown Paints tweeted: "We are sorry you feel this way. We see Hannah as an empowered female character, comfortable in making her own decisions and in control of if and when she changes her mind."

When another furious viewer tweeted: "'Dave hopes that’s it’s his' erm what the heck is that!!", a spokesperson for the paint brand replied: "We’re sorry if you were upset by the remark in this advert – we were simply trying to tell the story of one of life’s most special moments in a light-hearted way."

While Crown Paints may be facing some pretty intense criticism to their advert, plenty of people hitting back at the criticism just as hard.

"This is a bold creative commercial telling everyday real life stories" one Twitter user has written. "I like the campaign design. Edgy, young, lively, fun. You did well, and creates controversy but this is part of not being boring."

Another joked: "The only thing that I can see is offensive is the colour of the paint."

And a third assured the company: "There’s no such thing as bad advertising. I hadn’t heard about your campaign until it hit the news. For better or worse - you’ve made a splash!"

Now, there's a possibility that the advert could be taken down altogether, as the Advertising Standards Authority look into the complaints made.

In a statement posted to social media following the backlash, Crown Paints apologised for any offence caused, and explained that the advert was "intended to celebrate special moments in life in a humorous way."

They continued: "The characters of Hannah and Dave are shown to be in a happy relationship and preparing for their new arrival. There are no negative connotations intended from any of the lyrics and whilst the ad has been broadly well received, we recognise that people have differing tastes in humour. We apologise if any of the lines have caused offence."

At the end of the day, there's no way you can please everyone. Some find the advert charming and can't get the jingle out of their head, while others are writing complaints and having it out with each other online.

Different strokes, as they say!

Featured Image Credit: Crown Paints

Topics: News

Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

@alicondon