Firms rent ad space on young Japanese women's bare legs

'Good ads should be where people are looking!' Enterprising firms rent ad space on young Japanese women's bare legs (but they'll only pay up if she wears a miniskirt for eight hours a day)

By KATE RANDALL

PUBLISHED: 18:13, 20 February 2013 | UPDATED: 18:18, 20 February 2013

It is a country known for its unique way of advertising. But now Japan has gone one step further with women renting out their bare legs for companies market their products in return for payment.

With the notion that a good advertisement should be put where everyone's eyes are drawn, an attractive woman's limbs seem like the perfect idea - and sure enough, the clever marketing strategy is proving a huge hit with businesses all across Tokyo.

As of November 2012, about 1,300 girls have already registered their legs as ad space with Absolute Territory PR, and the number keeps increasing.

Marketer's dream: A woman in Japan has rented out her legs in return for companies advertising on them

The legs say it: The women proudly show off the companies who have rented out their limbs 

Attention-grabbing: A Japanese woman makes sure the business is getting the right amount of exposure

Participating women get their legs stamped with an ad and go on with their usual life - albeit wearing a short skirt or shorts and showing off their pins as much as possible. 

As long as the ad is showing on their legs for eight hours a day or more, their job is done, and they are paid a part of the advertising fee.

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As proof of their work, participants must also post pictures of themselves 'wearing' the ad on their own Facebook, Twitter or other social networks.

What suits me? Two women pick the logos they will be wearing for the day

The big reveal: Women show off the transferable tattoos which will don their pins for the next eight hours 

And it's just not companies who are getting in on the act as rock band Green Day recently employed the service to promote the Japan release of their new CD, !Uno! 

According to Eichi Atsumi - a spokesperson at the company running the service - the only guidelines that have to be met to get the job are that the registered person is connected to at least more than 20 people on some social network and that they are over 18 years old.  

Lots to see here: People will find it difficult to ignore this new form of advertising

The final product: The woman are now ready to hit the streets of Tokyo and start advertising 

Getting to work: The girls make sure the companies get exposure

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Harvey Nichols spark outrage with 'disgusting' advertising campaign showing women wetting themselves

By DEBORAH ARTHURS

PUBLISHED: 10:49, 8 June 2012 | UPDATED: 16:49, 8 June 2012

Luxury department store Harvey Nichols has come under fire for their latest advertising campaign, released to promote their summer sale. 

The glossy poster depicts a woman who has apparently - and there is no delicate way of putting this - wet her pants with excitement.

But the Knightsbridge store's latest mailshots have angered some more sensitive shoppers who have branded them 'crass' and off-putting. 

Crass? The Harvey Nichols summer sale mailout was meant as a bit of 'light-hearted fun', say the store - but some sensitive shoppers have taken offence at the image, taking to Twitter to criticise the flyers

Mailout: The images were included on flyers sent to thousands of clients of the high-end department store

The flyers, which have been sent to thousands of potential customers around the country to promote a sale, offended the more delicate of Harvey Nichols' client list. 

They show a woman with a damp patch on her orange trousers next to the slogan: 'The Harvey Nichols Sale... Try To Contain Your Excitement.'

But while many will appreciate the light-hearted touch and evident sense of fun intended by the Knightsbridge store's marketing department, some have taken to the Internet to air their horror.

On micro-blogging site Twitter, the first outlet for the offended few to show their disgust, a debate is already raging. 

One user said: 'Really, Harvey Nicks? Really? They’re certainly pushing the boundaries.'

Another user tweeted: 'you are kidding about these aren’t you? *checkscalendar*'

One woman posted: 'that absolutely does not make me the slightest bit inclined to shop there!'

One tweet read: 'Anyone in advertising? Even if not - take a look at the WORST advertising I’ve ever seen & it’s for @Harvey-Nichols'

'It was intended in a playful, inoffensive manner,  in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek spirit in which we intended our campaign to be taken'
                                             Harvey Nichols

Other tweets on the subject included: 'that’s a ‘NOT FUNNY’ from me... Crass', 'sorry @Harvey-Nichols but they’re absolutely disgusting' and 'we received this in the post, hideous! It makes me think of their sale goods as being soiled :('

One poster merely said: 'Oh how the mighty have fallen!'

Defending its latest ads, a spokesman for Harvey Nichols said: 'We developed the campaign to promote our summer sale and capture the excitement in a light-hearted, humorous way. 

'The images in our advertising were designed to be a visual representation of a well-known phrase. 

'During the production of the campaign, we researched the use of this expression in popular culture and social media and were satisfied that is is both commonplace and invariably used in a playful, inoffensive manner, which was in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek spirit in which we intended our campaign to be taken.'

This is not the first time the store has sparked controversy with its ads, with the Advertising Standards Agency receiving complaints last December over a TV promo that showed women making the walk of shame. 

Distasteful, or a bit of fun? Sensitive shoppers have been offended by the images

Lightening the mood: The ads are in keeping with the store's tongue-in-cheek spirit, a visual representation of a popular expression

The advert, which sparked complaints of sexism, showed a variety of dishevelled women in short, figure-hugging dresses and high heels making their way home after one night stands. 

A slogan saying 'avoid the walk of shame this season' then appears and is followed by a shot of a well-dressed woman confidently returning home at dawn. Unlike the other women, she is wearing a dress from Harvey Nichols.

The adverts drew criticism that the ads condoned casual sex, but the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the depiction of women in this way was 'unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence'.

However, the watchdog dismissed Harvey Nichols’ claim that the women in the ads had not necessarily had one-night stands. By using the phrase 'walk of shame' the implication 'was that the women had had casual sex the previous night'.

'We acknowledged that some people might find the theme of the ad distasteful, but we concluded that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence,' the ASA said.

Sparking controversy: The 'Walk of Shame' advert for Harvey Nichols shown at Christmas drew criticism for what some said was the glamorisation of one night stands

Pushing boundaries: The final scene of the Walk of Shame ad, where a woman wearing a dress from Harvey Nichols walks home the morning after. The ad was cleared by the ASA, who said it was unlikely to cause widespread offence and did not encourage casual sex

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