Jasmin.com "Desert Oasis" (2014) :45 (USA)

This ad for Jasmin.com, an adult webcam site, has been banned by network television! Okay, not banned, per se, but rejected by NBC and the other networks. It was going to run during the Emmy's on all the major networks, but due to the stands group, no one would accept it.

Standards group? More like double standard when you think about it. Ads are filled with sex all the time, including the latest Kia Ad, which, were it not for the creep factor of the hamsters, would be right up there with the same kind of leering adolescent horniness as something you'd find in a John Hughes movie, or worse.

But that's the world we live in. You can sexualize people to sell cars or clothing, or hamburgers but if you want to sell a perfectly legal website devoted to sex it's not acceptable. It's totally cool to show soap operas like Days of Our Lives which NBC happily shows.

Understand, I'm not taking a moral stance on this, I'm just pointing out the double standard.

As for the ad itself? Well, it falls into the category of Weird Science, but not as clever. It's well shot but there's no insight. It's certainly harmless, even innocent in a naive sort of way. I don't udnerstand it, though.I don't understand why dudes are trying to stop other dudes, nor why they're in the desert, or why it's a mirage. The problem with this and Porn Hub and all the "naughty" categories is the same problem with other categories. The don't start with an idea, so the execution is superficial at best or nonsensical at worst.

Still, this ad is no worse in content or subject matter than 90% of the ads out there. Still, with the amount of money in "the adult industry" you'd think they'd hire an agency to do better work. I bet I could come up with a 360 campaign in less than a week.

My guess is, eventually the "banned ad" routine will fall on deaf ears, and some progressive, forward thinking company will see the validity. For now, We're still in the GoDaddy camp.

Client: Jasmin.com