The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has partly upheld complaints about an ad showing a woman smoking.

A drawing of a woman sitting with a glass of wine and smoking a cigarette was used online and on a sandwich board for the Auckland bar, Teddy’s. The sandwich board was located outside the bar and was visible from the footpath.

Complainants queried the legality of an advertisement that featured a woman smoking and were also concerned about it being viewed by children.

The advertiser rejected the complaint saying while they understand that people might take offence to such an image, they were advertising their restaurant, not selling cigarettes.

A majority of the ASA’s Complaints Board agreed the image in the sandwich board advertisement promoted smoking with drinking alcohol and had not been placed with a due sense of social responsibility.

However, the board agreed unanimously that the Facebook and website advertisements were not in breach of the Code of Ethics. This was due to the placement of the advertisements, which could only be seen by those who chose to visit the Facebook page or website for Teddy’s Bar.