Clarice Stewart is calling out a Manawatū contractor for branding on its digger that degrades women.

A Manawatū woman is questioning the taste of branding on a digger that she believes is offensive and promotes a crude attitude towards women.

But the contractor responsible for it says there is nothing wrong with the image and the woman complaining must have a "dirty mind".

The sign-written advert, displayed on the window of a Chris Gommans Contracting digger, shows the silhouette of a woman bending over provocatively.

Next to it is the slogan: "Your hole is our goal."

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Clarice Stewart said she noticed the image when the company arrived to do work at a property next to hers in Palmerston North.

"I personally find it really offensive and I've got a sense of humour."

Stewart said she thought this type of humour belonged in the 1950s and she didn't understand how a business thought it was appropriate.

At first she had to think about if it was promoting a contracting company or a bordello.

"Women took a long time to get rid of those attitudes and to think they are still prevalent is really an issue, and I don't like it."

She has contacted the company, not received a response, and laid a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority.

"How does [the contractor] think it's OK to display something like that on a piece of equipment?"

Supplied A woman has taken offense to this advertising on a digger that was stationed outside her house in Palmerston North.

Chris Gommans said he had bought the digger with the slogan on it about five or six years ago.

He had never had a complaint about it before.

He said the woman who complained had a "dirty mind".

"We dig holes and it's our goal."

Advertising Standards Authority chief executive Hilary Souter said people often didn't think of their vehicles as advertising in the typical sense.

"For us, the codes apply to all adverts in all media.

"It's about a level playing field, really, and people have the right to advertise but that right comes with the responsibility to make sure that advert is truthful and also decent and socially responsible."

In 2017 a complaint was made against an advertisement featured on the rear of an Independent Forklift Company van.

The van had an image of a woman in her underwear and the words "Used Forklifts" as well as "You know you're not the first … But does that really matter?"

The matter was settled when the advert was changed.

"Your hole is our goal" is a slogan commonly used in advertising by contracting firms internationally, but is typically accompanied by a business's brand name or an image of drilling equipment, not women in suggestive poses.