Banned: Paris Hilton Beer Ad Too Sensual for Brazil (video)
Socialite Paris Hilton is persona non grata in Brazil, at least as far as her appearance in a beer commercial goes. The too “sensual” blond and alcohol apparently don’t mix.
The ad that has set Brazil on its ear features Hilton seductively rubbing a can of beer over herself while she sashays around a windowed office in plain view of passersby.
Complaints about the sensuality of the spot led to three investigations, and the ad has been pulled by the beer maker, Grupo Schincariol, the Associated Press confirmed.
The company said in a statement it saw nothing wrong with the commercial, but is pulling it for the time being.
The issue according to Brazilian ad watchdog group, Conar, is the fact that the commercial featured beer. Advertising regulations prohibit the sensual depiction of women in alcohol commercials.
While Brazilian beer ads are said to routinely feature women in bikinis, the context is in a beach setting, where such clothing is expected.
“The problem with the ad isn’t a lack of clothing, but its sensual nature,” Eduardo Correia, a Conar spokesman, told The Associated Press last week.
The beer in question, Devassa’s “Bem Loura,” translates “Very Blond,” which explains the Hilton connection.
Hilton is also featured in an Internet campaign wearing even more risque lingerie and high heels and supermarket displays, wearing a black dress similar to the ad’s.
This, incidentally, is same country that hosts Carnival, the ultra-raunchy celebration of carnal lust. But apparently it’s all about context.