Or so the paper thought. Then the ad arrived. Tongues hit the floor - from all the drool - before common sense kicked in that perhaps the powers-that-be outside Hong Kong wouldn't have appreciated the ad's laddish humour.
Basically, the topless shot with stars positioned a fraction away from vital spots was accompanied by the line about Euro RSCG Hong Kong and its interactive agency moving "just a little ... now we have a much nicer view". Back it went to the advertiser, which to its credit hustled up a copy-laden execution in its place. Admittedly no subsitute for the visual impact of the first, but still a worthy replacement - and we're talking a day's notice here.
Now Diary hears Euro's erotic dancer model has finally seen the light of day thanks to email. Last week's email blast delivered the ad straight into offices and markets where stern censors would have taken umbrage and probably banished Media to oblivion. Not every email recipient though is laughing. One executive was prompted to ask Euro chiefs Jane Barratt and Julie Ng if the ad "was a creative exercise by some 15-year-old work experience students?".
Probably not. The surprise though is that the office - headed by two women and with a female creative team - has a decidely testosterone bent to its humour.
Whatever the case, there is an awards show that would heartily welcome ads such as Euro's. It's the Lisbon Erotic Advertising Festival - LEAF for short - which explores erotic, titallating content in advertising.
Diary will leave readers to decide if Euro's ad fits the erotic bill.
Though to save Asia's over-worked censors from having to further exercise their wrists, and the publisher from a stern reprimand, Diary's taken the initiative to blank out the offending bits.