Flashing banana ad draws complaints

Wellington - New Zealand's advertising watchdog is considering a complaint that a bus ticket ad featuring a banana "flashing" a strawberry and a pear is indecent, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

The image on the reverse of Auckland bus tickets shows a banana opening his skin like a coat to expose a protruding banana as a female strawberry and pear run away screaming, the Herald on Sunday reported.

Bus traveller Jackie Robson told the paper: "I was shocked. Even though it is just fruit there is the angry look and it is clear what the banana is doing."

She said the adult theme, with a sexual and aggressive overtone, could give children the wrong idea and was inappropriate.

James Tuckert, of Habitual Fix, a fresh food and juice company based in Auckland's central business district (CBD), said the image had been used at least 2.5 million times on bus tickets and supermarket receipts and "hundreds and hundreds of people" had said they liked it.

"It was designed to get attention," he said. "The brand is starting to get penetration in the CBD."

Hilary Souter, executive director of the Advertising Complaints Authority, said it had received three complaints and the chairman would decide if there had been a breach of standards.