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Oven cleaner advert gets more than 1000 complaints

Published: 13 March 2009
An advert for Oven Pride cleaner, part of a £1m TV campaign that kicked off last week, has had hundreds of complaints.
Oven cleaner advert gets more than 1000 complaints
To see the advert click below.




It features a reluctant man being forced to clean the oven by his long-suffering wife.

The advert's strap line states 'Oven Pride is so easy, even a man can use it'.

More than a thousand people - about 90 per cent of them men - have contacted the company directly through email, phone and forums.



"The advert simply portrays a typical couple who live together," said Matt Stockdale of HomePride, the company that makes Oven Pride.

He added: "The reality is while some do, many male partners don't pull their weight at home and this advert simple portrays that."

Comments

Published prior to March 2014
By Dave
Typical of the complaint culture in the UK. Everybody MUST complain about something. The more they can complain the happier they are in life. See the positives in life and be even more happier.
Published prior to March 2014
By Kevio74
Would a woman get the joke if the rolls were reversed
Published prior to March 2014
By David Moran
People actually get paid for this dross. It is the worst example of advertising I have seen for years. Absolutely astonished that the ASA has rejected all the complaints. How much credibility does that organisation have?
Published prior to March 2014
By Marky
If there was an advert for say something about DIY or car engines and used the saying, "So easy a woman could do it!" i could just picture the uproar from feminists. Double standards me thinks!
Published prior to March 2014
By Alex
Don't understand the fuss? OK, let's try these slogans:
"A car so easy to drive, even a woman could do it"
"Sky+, so simple, even a woman could programme it"
"And now the news. You women might want to leave the important stuff to the men, so turn over now to the programme about sewing on BBC2"
Published prior to March 2014
By downie
What does this trend in modern media teach boys and young men about their value and position in society, Its not just this advert theres loads of them that portray men as moronic incompetents. White straight males are the only group in society that anyone can insult and if they object in anyway they are ridiculed for taking themselves too seriously.
Published prior to March 2014
By ovenpride
I have cleaned the oven loads of times an do housework and cooking, but so what! Its an advert for goodness sake,
You men are acting PATHETIC, GROW UP!
You make yourselves look stupid by winging on!!!!!!!!!!
Published prior to March 2014
By gogz
i'LL CLEAN THE OVEN IF SHE PAINTS THE GARAGE, PUTS DOWN THE NEW FLOOR AND FITS THE NEW DOORS
Published prior to March 2014
By Derek
It is blatant sexism and portrays men as having an inferior intelligence, absolutely nothing to do with who does more work in the kitchen. The fact is it offends many people yet nothing happens, and as previously mentioned, if it stated, "even a black person could use it", it would be removed immediately if ANY complaints were made. I for one will never use any of this companies products and will encourage others to do likewise.
Published prior to March 2014
By G Gos
What are these men worried about. It's a good advert and a good joke. Come on guys get a life and don't be so miserable.
Published prior to March 2014
By thom
i read through all these comments , , sure it is meant as a joke but the other way around and you would have seen 100 times more complaints , men have always been portraits as being the least intelligent sex and it's complete nonsense, i work in town and even looking around the shops in town more then 75% is all woman orientated, us men are considered a minority (if even considered at all) and as above yeah of course a woman would get the joke and think it's funny , it's not insulting a woman is it.
why should us men have to put up with woman's abuse .. men are more the victim of bullying and abuse each day and no-one seems to care (clearly not the woman ,who are supposed to be so much better then men.)
Published prior to March 2014
By DJB
25/06/09 I just saw this ad on daytime tv and from the second I heard the sardonic tone in the woman's voice it caught my attentiom. My first thought was how insulting it was to men and I just thought if this was directed the other way around it would have never even made it to TV. Women had this kind of abuse in the '50s and it was wrong, so why should we as men have to deal with it now. Two wrongs don't make a right.
"Oven Pride! So insulting even this man will not be using it". Refuse to buy it and may be they'll get the message.
Published prior to March 2014
By Inferior male
This ad has annoyed me since day one that it was first broadcast.
It seems to be ok to point and laugh at how stupid men are and they are the inferior sex, but as soon you even mention that a woman might not be as good as a man at a certain task, everyone accuses it of being sexist
Published prior to March 2014
By martin swash
If this was the other way around, it be would be banned, MEN ARE GETTING SICK OF THIS DISGUSTING INJUSTICE
Published prior to March 2014
By James
Does this Matt Stockdale have any pride? How can he get away with putting that catchphrase in the advert? It is on the same level as putting "So simple even a disabled albino man can do it" It is mirroring the growing trend towards sexism towards males in adverts, whether blatantly obvious or not so obvious. It's wrong, stop it. I suppose that no one has bought this product now anyway.
Published prior to March 2014
By Sigurd
I don't understand all the fuss! The humour in the Oven Pride ad is so obvious that I am sure a woman would get the joke.
Published prior to March 2014
By Francis
I am male, I do most of the cooking and oven cleaning. In 37 years of marriage, my wife has cleaned the oven once; I have several times. I find the advert insulting; there is nothing preventing an insult from being couched as a joke.
Published prior to March 2014
By real female
The problem with this ad isn't about it being funny or not, it's more about fairness and balance, after all you can not have a rule for one and not for the other, I mean what would happen if the ad was for a power tool and it was said 'even a women can use it' it would be instantly branded as sexist and prob banned.
The people who condone this ad are prob rabid feminists who demand equal rights but get upset when a male doesn't open a door for them, or am I just stereotyping here?
Published prior to March 2014
By Kriss
The advert isn't light hearted at all, it's extremely sexist in the most blatent way and is full of heterosexism, just like the majority of ads out there these days. So if I were a lesbian, me and my partner have superior control over how to use oven pride? It's ridiculous.
Published prior to March 2014
By Annoymous
You can say we should be light hearted, but why was the same not said about sexist adverts towards women? We had to pull them to please the women?
Is it because we're men that we should just grin and bear it? No. Equality is no sexism towards women, they shouldn't allow the same towards us men.

F off oven pride.
Published prior to March 2014
By Dodo
She shouldn't have let it get that dirty in the first place. Who does she think she is? Waynetta Slob?
Published prior to March 2014
Published prior to March 2014
Published prior to March 2014
By Anonymous
"This oven cleaner is so simple that even a black person can use it"

that advert I'd love to see!!!
Published prior to March 2014
By Anonymous
The 'silly man, clever woman' scenario has been used countless times... It's a tried and tested advertising technique, used safe in the knowledge that fewer men will complain than if the genders were switched. These complaints are obviously a minority that DO seem to mind.

Light-hearted humour, yes, but just imagine the uproar were it the other way around.
Published prior to March 2014
By Nick
The oven is the hot thing next to the white cold thing where the beer lives I believe.
Published prior to March 2014
By Anonymous
IS an oven that thing women use?
Published prior to March 2014
By Sefo
Come on blokes where's your sense of humour? Honestly I agree with Pete. Lets have a loff about it for goodness sake. These men are only "up in arms" cos it's hit a raw nerve and if my bloke decided to clean the oven he certainly would get a bit of the other as Colin Nutley suggested. Ha-ha...
Published prior to March 2014
By the clean machine
I've never cleaned an oven an don't intend to do it after watching the advert. In fact I don't think my woman will want to either now!
Still, at least the advert has more of a sense of humour than most nowadays. I say good on you Oven Pride for giving us something to laugh about...
Published prior to March 2014
By David
What a fuss about nothing, just a bit of fun, if that's all we had to worry about life would be easy.
Published prior to March 2014
By Colin Nutley
Come on guys! This advert is a laugh, and you lot are being a) oversensitive and b) wimps! If you don't like the format of the advert, get in the kitchen and pull your weight, then maybe the advertisers won't pick on you and maybe, just maybe, your sex life might improve! Chill out!
Published prior to March 2014
By Nick
If it takes a small mocking of the magnificent male gender to keep women cleaning the oven then I say good on you oven pride!
Published prior to March 2014
By Paul
Totally agree with Pete. This world is too PC! This is a funny ad! I'm a bloke and wasn't offended. I think it is a good idea and because it is so simple I may give it try! :)
Published prior to March 2014
By Ange
I can't beleive there have been complaints over this light hearted advert! Surely 'even a man can see the funny side!'
Published prior to March 2014
By Pete
Oh for Gods sake ... get a life !
Has everyone had a sense of hmour bypass here ??
This ad is meant as a over dramatisation of what goes on in most UK households every single day. I wonder how many of the complainants had actually cleaned the oven in their house ?
This pathetic PC world we seem to be evolving ( or should I say devolving) into leaves me cold
Published prior to March 2014
By chappers
Your story is inaccurate. The reported strapline phrase "even a man can do it" isn't in the commercial.
Published prior to March 2014
By Sooz
Why does everything have to be so PC. It's a lighthearted advert not a political debate.
Published prior to March 2014
By Lummo
Actually the real suggestion is that men are stupid. This is easily seen if we substitute as follows:

"This spanner is so simple that even a woman can use it" or,

"This oven cleaner is so simple that even a white person can use it" or,

"This oven cleaner is so simple that even a woman can use it" or,

"This oven cleaner is so simple that even a black person can use it"

I don'[t think that Matt Stockdale of Home Pride would dare defend any of those.

Published prior to March 2014
By Chris
"The reality is while some do, many male partners don't pull their weight at home and this advert simple portrays that."

Errrr no it doesn't - it suggests most men don't have the ability to clean.

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