Controversial Ads Liken Smoking an E-Cig to Blowing a Dude

“You can feel it, hold it, put it in your mouth, and see how great it tastes,” suggests a handsome man in a new commercial. No, he is not talking about his dick, but a British brand of e-cigarettes called VIP.

The commercial has four variations, all told from either a female or male perspective. One featuring this same man shows him saying sultrily to the audience, “I want you to put your hands all over it. I’m going to watch you do it. Then I want you to put it in your mouth, wrap your lips around it and suck. It’s going to taste so good. And then I want you…I want you to…I want you to switch to the great taste of VIP.”

According to the Daily Mail, the Advertising Standards Agency in the UK is investigating the commercials after they received complaints from viewers who felt the content was too and that they glamorized smoking. But VIP says they created the ad to get around recent ASA rulings that have criticized previous manufacturers for not making it clear that e-cigarettes are for adults and contain nicotine, and that make it illegal for them to show the product in their commercials. As for the sexual content, they say the ads are fine because they’re only airing after 9 pm on television:

One thing that should be clear about these adverts is that we’ve worked hard to ensure they don’t glamorise smoking in any way – it’s something we’ve made clear with all our forms of advertising. Although the product may create a similar sensation for smokers, it’s a harm reducing alternative to tobacco cigarettes that offers smoking a choice. We’re not trying making nicotine ‘sexy’ or ‘attractive’ – we’re drawing attention to a healthier alternative.