Commonwealth Bank has taken action to have an advertising spoof of its 'Can' campaign, created by online betting company Sportsbet, taken down.
The parody of Commonwealth Bank's 'Ode To Can' commercial shows a Toni Collette look-a-like narrating similar prose in front of the word 'PUNT'.
The spoof, uploaded to the brand's Youtube channel a few days ago, mimics the scenery and dialogue of the bank's original ad and shows a blonde woman sitting in a park reading poetry about punting. Large white letters sit directly behind her spelling the word "Punt".
She says: "It's a four letter word offensive as any. It describes a pass time loved by many. In the pub, in the bedroom, or on the loo, is a thing that Aussie blokes love to do. This four letter word ends in T, and is a word that means so much to me.
"Change the letter that is at the front, and you get a word that rhymes with "runt". But it would all mean nothing without you. Come and punt at sportsbet.com.au."
At the end of the irreverent prose, she throws the book behind her.
Commonwealth Bank said in a statement: "While we recognise that the parody is a bit of fun, we do take our intellectual property rights seriously as I’m sure does Sportsbet. We have taken steps to have the ad removed."
The ad is not the first time the brand has taken a stab at the media market, with its official Facebook page hosting several parody pictures. Channel Nine's Big Brother is the latest to be targeted, with an image of the show's iconic camera logo replaced with a snail. The text reads: "Live streaming snails. Is this more interesting than Big Brother?". Consumers are able to watch live snails surrounded by minuture Sportsbet-branded household items.
Another mimics popular women's novel Fifty Shades of Grey with a picture called "Fifty Shades Of Betting", replacing erotic words with betting terms. It reads: "One hand lifted my betslip and the other slowly massaged my boxed trifecta."
The Commonwealth Bank's commercial, created by M&C Saatchi, was the showpiece of the bank's wider 'Can' campaign. It launched in May this year after multiple teaser activations including spots fronted by Olympic swimmer James Magnussen.
Sportsbet was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.
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