An advert for a new milkshake by Benna that features a man fantasising about his female colleague has gone down badly with some social media users, who claim it objectifies women.

The advert by the dairy production giant Benna was released as part of marketing for its new Red Velvet limited edition milkshake. It features a male office worker who, while bored at his desk, looks over to his female colleague. 

After taking a sip of the milkshake, the man starts fantasising about her, and the scene shifts to him watching her while she walks towards him in a red dress under dimmed, red lighting. 

The advert ends with a shot of the milk carton and the words: “Taste the temptation”.

University gender studies profess Brenda Murphy was among those who said the advert was a step backwards in the fight for gender equality. 

In a post addressing the dairy giant, she wrote: “In a context where we are all aware of the fact that nearly three out of every four women are sexually harassed in the workplace - we are repulsed by your toxic ad for a milkshake.

“We urge people who are for #GenderEquality and for #BetterBalancedMedia to use their consumer sovereignty and boycott this and any other product that objectifies women, insults male integrity, and reinforces dangerous stereotypes.”

Another Facebook user said “casual sexism” is no longer tolerated and called on Benna to “do better”. 

Screengrab of the Benna advert featuring the man fantasising about his female colleague. Photo: Benna/FacebookBenna/

But others took the advert's message more lightly, describing it as “cheesy but harmless”. 

Some users argued there would be no issue had the roles been reversed and pointed to other content where the fantasies focus on men, including the official music video for Malta's Eurovision entry. 

Another user said the video was “just an advert” and that a fuss was being kicked up “over nothing”. 

Times of Malta has reached out to Benna for a reaction.