One of many nice pastimes for us Australians, a nation of good-humoured larrikins, is complaining. Vociferously and about absolutely anything, we completely like to complain. Consequently, it results in busy and (one suspects) well-paid careers for ombudsmen. It additionally signifies that in terms of public-facing targets of complaints like commercials, the physique chargeable for regulating content material, Advert Requirements, makes public its determinations on complaints. Within the spirit of transparency, your correspondent rounded up a number of the humorous, egregious and sometimes ridiculous complaints from the previous yr.
There have been quite a lot of honourable mentions that didn’t make it into this listing, together with mother and father involved over influencer Abbie Chatfield’s eggplants in an Uber Eats advert, Toyota getting slammed for selling secure driving, and streaming platform Binge being accused of selling incest over a billboard for HBO’s Home of the Dragon that learn: “He’s a ten, however he’s your uncle”.
AHHH! A burger!
WA-based hen takeaway chain, Hen Deal with (a part of the Craveable Manufacturers group, which additionally owns Pink Rooster, Oporto and Chargrill Charlie’s), appeared to be kicking objectives over the previous couple of years, opening their first shops in NSW in 2023. However for a minimum of one viewer, one in all their TV advertisements was a giant miss.
The advert confirmed a hen burger having sauce drizzled over it, turning it briefly right into a screaming monster that lunges on the viewer momentarily.
“Each time this advert comes on, I’ve to hurry to mute the telly and look away. It’s disturbing that this is able to be proven to youngsters,” mentioned one scared complainant.
“They’re actively making an attempt to scare individuals, and the sound is horrible. It shouldn’t be allowed.”
Craveable Manufacturers in its response mentioned the advert “cleverly mirrors the response of a buyer making an attempt the [new] sauce for the primary time”.
Advert Requirements discovered that whereas it “recognised the potential for momentary fright”, it “discovered it to be non-threatening”. Most likely as a result of it was an anthropomorphic hen burger.
The grievance was subsequently dismissed.
It’s a parmi! It’s a parma!
Sticking once more with accusations of chicken-related violence, an advert for Nova 100 in Melbourne depicted two new hosts, initially from Adelaide, on the pub with their Victorian co-host. In an effort to right her colleagues’ blasphemous use of the slang “parmi” as an alternative of the Victorian-specific “parma” to seek advice from the pub staple, she utilises an electrical canine coaching collar positioned round their necks.
One viewer took subject with it, calling it “very disturbing content material” that ought to be despatched to the Australian Human Rights Fee.
Nova’s response mentioned that the usage of a “correctional” shock was “light-hearted, humorous and unrealistic”, noting that in Victoria, the usage of authorised canine coaching collars (on animals) is authorized.
Nevertheless, the Australian Affiliation of Nationwide Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics requires that violence proven in promoting should be justifiable within the context of the services or products, and that “somebody receiving a painful electrical shock was not justifiable within the promotion of a radio program”.
Advert Requirements discovered the advert breached part 2.3 of the code, which resulted in it being discontinued by Nova.
Did somebody say KFC?
Whereas most advert requirements complaints are dismissed, this effort from KFC made headlines final yr, and never for the rationale you’d count on. The unique advert, which confirmed a lady at a home celebration noticing her telephone is flat and unplugging a wire from a powerboard in an effort to cost it, however in doing so inadvertently turning off the music, caught the ire of 1 eagle-eyed viewer.
The complainant seen that the powerboard within the advert was overloaded, with a number of double adapters and different powerboards daisy chained, citing Fireplace and Rescue NSW statistics that present greater than 350 home fires begin from electrical faults yearly.
The grievance famous “regrettably, none of [Fire and Rescue’s] beneficial practices are depicted or instructed within the KFC commercial”.
KFC responded to the grievance, claiming it “by no means supposed to advertise the usage of or mislead viewers as to the security of utilizing overloaded powerboards”, however the Advert Requirements Group Panel discovered that “the commercial was opposite to prevailing group requirements on well being and security”, breaching part 2.6 of the AANA’s Code of Ethics.
The advert was subsequently edited to take away the overloaded powerboard.
Okay, boomer
Sticking with the obvious theme of takeaway hen, one avenue advert from Nando’s was a bit simpler to grasp when it comes to the character of the grievance. The slogan of the advert learn: “Outbid by a boomer? Elevate your hand for peri-peri hen.”
A number of complainants, nevertheless, skipped previous the dire social commentary on the Australian housing market to the reference to boomers.
“The advert is ageist in the direction of older individuals. It perpetuates discrimination towards older individuals,” one grievance learn.
Dr Catherine Barrett, the founding father of a non-profit referred to as Celebrating Ageing, informed information.com.au final yr that she was calling on Nando’s to “do higher”.
Nando’s, in response, mentioned the advert was “designed to be a light-hearted manner of escaping from the frustrations of dwelling possession”, noting the proportion of wealth and homeownership loved by child boomers.
Advert Requirements discovered that whereas the time period “boomer” was “usually utilized in a condescending or derogatory method, its use [was] not essentially discriminatory or vilifying”, and dismissed the complaints.
Welcome to Hell, Melbourne
The Diablo online game collection has been round longer than your correspondent has been alive, however that hasn’t stopped builders Activision Blizzard from courting controversy with its newest launch, 2023’s Diablo IV. A billboard for the online game in Melbourne depicted a horned girl with the phrases “Welcome to Hell, Melbourne”.
It drew quite a lot of complaints, claiming it was offensive to Christians and Catholics (who famously are the one faiths to have depictions of hell), in addition to scary for younger youngsters.
Nevertheless, probably the most notable grievance got here from one member of the general public, who mentioned, “Whilst an grownup, it introduced again recollections of the hell of the 2 years of lockdowns in Melbourne”.
Activision Blizzard in response mentioned the advertisements “don’t embody any references to the Satanic occult”, and that hell refers to “a fictional location that an individual will go to as a part of the gameplay of their quest to defeat the fictional villain portrayed within the advertisements”.
Advert Requirements discovered that whereas “individuals of the Christian religion, or different faiths, might not like the usage of a reference to hell or the satan … the content material of the commercial itself doesn’t humiliate or incite hatred, contempt or ridicule of Christian individuals (or different faiths)”.
Advert Requirements didn’t comment on what it was prefer to reside in Melbourne throughout lockdowns, nor its proximity to hell, and dismissed the grievance.