We’re amazed… but our new advertising campaign has been banned by Horticulture Week because the content is deemed offensive.

“Frankly we don’t understand why,” said Daniel Wilkinson, Hortifeeds MD. “It may be a slightly unusual approach in this industry, but compared to what is seen today in virtually every type of media, it really is quite innocent.

“We have, for example, seen a recent television advertisement, shown before the watershed, which features no less than half a dozen naked bottoms.”

The idea for the Hortifeeds advertisement originated because the company’s agency used a model who already had a tattoo of a flower in the middle of her back.

“It just rang a bell,” said Agency Director Ray Hirst. “so we developed a copy line that would deliver the company’s message to its target market. Hortifeeds liked the concept so the ad was produced.

“The first duty of any advertisement is to be seen and noticed and we are reasonably confident that this one will stand out from the crowd.”

“We expected a few raised eyebrows, but we didn’t think anyone would ban it,” said Daniel Wilkinson.”

While the advertisement will not run in Horticulture Week, it will feature in Grower, Commercial Greenhouse Grower and Fruit Grower.

Click this link to view a larger version of the advert