The Guardian issues apology for placing "Watch porn" ad next to child abuse article

The Guardian issued an apology for placing an advertisement for Christopher Ward watches with the phrase "Watch porn" next to an article about child sexual abuse. The ad, published in the Guardian's pre-printed magazine on July 27, was placed adjacent to a piece about the perspective of a woman whose husband was convicted for viewing illegal content involving children.

In a statement, The Guardian explained that the ad placement was a mistake by the publication and not intentional by the advertiser. They stated, "An article was insensitively positioned next to an advertisement from the watch company Christopher Ward [...] We have measures to prevent such inappropriate positioning, but they failed in this instance and will be reviewed. We apologise for any distress caused."

Mike France, CEO and co-founder of Christopher Ward, commented: "Our 'Watch porn' advert, which we've been using for a year, is meant to be playful and promote the appeal of our watches. The issue here lies in the context, and we apologise if this placement caused any discomfort."

Additionally, this isn't the first instance of brands apologizing for unfortunate ad placements. In July 2021, Axe Brand Universal Oil faced a similar situation when its ad appeared below a news article in The Straits Times (ST) about a murder at River Valley High School (RVHS). The ad stated: "A handy medicine for quick relief of cold and headache. To get you prepared for your next step." The article was about a secondary four student arrested for killing a secondary one student, with reports mentioning that police had seized an axe as evidence.

Both Brand Universal Oil and ST clarified that the ad placement was an "unfortunate coincidence" and "unfortunate juxtaposition." ST apologized for the distress caused and replaced the ad with a house ad in its e-paper.