A pharmaceutical giant has delivered a sharp rebuke to five women who complained about a TV advert which showed a father changing his baby daughter's nappy.

The women told the ad watchdog that in the commercial for Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment, the baby's genitals were visible, the father touched the baby “inappropriately” and the commercial itself was inappropriate given the problem of baby rape and sexual assault.

Bayer, the German firm that makes Bepanthen, told the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) the ad was an attempt to break the stereotypical notion that only a mother would change a baby’s nappy and that fathers — “society’s gentle giants” — are capable of the same tasks.

“Unfortunately, the common thread behind the consumers’ views that the baby is being touched in a sexual manner is the fact that the parent changing the nappy is a male,” Bayer said in its response to complaints from Magda van Biljon, Carol Coney, Jacqueline Mitchell, Abrama Kok and Gwynneth Maree.

“To some extent, it is exactly this stereotype that Bayer is trying to question or even break. Most adverts reflect a mother portraying this role, and we submit that, with respect, the fact that it is a man now portrayed in this role has hit sensitivities among South African consumers that is misplaced.

“While this saddens Bayer to a great extent, and it fully acknowledges and rebukes the atrocious acts of violence against women and children in SA, this advert in no way should be linked to these heinous crimes.”

Bayer said it ensured the ad was filmed in a respectful manner, the footage contained only a fleeting shot of the ointment being applied, and “a certain level of 'nudity' is acceptable to the community in this instance where a caring father applies cream to the baby’s bottom for purpose of assisting with nappy rash”.

The panel that considered the complaint said it recognised the complainants' sensitivities.

“Child abuse is rife, and the issue of babies being raped is a disturbing issue in SA, one which must be fought at every level,” it said. “However, the question ... has to be whether anything in the commercial in fact portrays inappropriate behaviour, or would lead to a baby being sexually abused or raped.”

The watchdog said it was clear the commercial attempted to challenge stereotypes.

“Not only is it a father changing the baby, it is a large hipster father sporting a number of tattoos,” it said.

This played into many people's idea of an “unsafe or unsavoury” character, said the ARB finding on Wednesday, and “this is perhaps the true source of consumers’ discomfort”.

The finding said the watchdog encouraged advertisers to challenge stereotypes and believed the fact that the father in the Bepanthen is “edgy” adds to the transformative nature of the message.

In considering whether there was anything “unsavoury or sexual” about the way the father changes the nappy, the ARB said the baby's genitals are displayed “minimally, appropriately, and in line with product use”, the product is applied appropriately and the father does not touch the baby in a sexual manner.

It said it agreed with a finding about the ad by its Australian counterpart, which rejected similar complaints.

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