Not every advertising campaign gets it right, and Ann Summers’ latest offering could turn out to be something of a clanger.

The ‘Ice Scream’ van distributes free ice cream with unusual toppings

The lingerie retailer is sending an ice cream van around the country, which it has renamed the ‘I Scream’ van. The bus is decorated with pictures of women dressed in its products, and it distributes free ice cream with – wait for it – different flavoured lubricant toppings.

It doesn’t end there. Women who approach the van wearing a bikini get free swimwear, and the retailer is also running a competition – anyone who’s happy to pull their most convincing orgasm face, have it uploaded to Facebook and judged will be in with a chance of winning a prize.

One main complaint with this campaign is that while the retailer was no doubt aiming for ‘harmless fun’ or ‘naughty’, many people will just find it ‘slightly creepy’ – especially when their free ice cream gets doused in lubricant.

There’s also the issue of children. Ice cream vans and free ice scream appeal to kids, so the parents who have had to explain to their children what lubricant is are probably not huge fans of Ann Summers at the moment. Plus, large sexualised images decorating an ice cream van – normally a child friendly zone – seems misguided and perhaps a shade irresponsible too.

The van is travelling around the UK at the moment and the competition ends in June. The whole thing feels a bit Club 18-30s – not the image Ann Summers is going for.