Lynx Gatwick ad undone by planning laws

by Joanna Bowery, Marketing 26-Jul-05, 13:30

LONDON - Lynx has been forced to pull its risque 100,000ft2 ad from a field outside Gatwick Airport because it did not have planning permission.

The ad, which was toned down from the original idea of three naked figures in the style of the Cerne Abbas Giant, was spray-painted in a field under the Gatwick flight path earlier this month.

Part of Lynx's "Spray more" activity, the ad aimed to target holidaymakers flying in and out of the airport.

However, following a complaint by a member of public, Tandridge District Council ordered Unilever to remove the ad or face prosecution.

The ad had also angered environmental bodies including the Campaign to Protect Rural England. "Advertising has a place, and that is not in the fields surrounding our airports," said a spokesman for the charity.

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