Sex sells, but not in Moldova

We've all run into far too many examples of marketers who take the "sex sells" truism to extremes -- ads for, say, jackhammers, that show the product being held by a gorgeous (and, of course, scantily-clad) woman, leaving the viewer to wonder "What the heck is the connection?"

The answer, of course, is that there is no connection.

However, in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, we have the opposite extreme. There, the local authorities have banned billboards that show women's legs -- in an ad for panty hose.

Acting mayor Vasily Ursu said earlier that showing women’s legs on billboards was contrary to the standards of ethics and advised designers to look for a more creative solution than just capturing bare legs.

Actually, perhaps Mayor Ursu can be swayed by the fact that the legs are unlikely to be bare in a panty hose ad.