My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Feildel’s outdoor ad for Magnum ice cream has garnered complaints for its sexual nature and phallic symbolism.
The spot shows an image of a Magnum ice cream in front of the celebrity chef’s face. The text reads, “New Chocolate Toffee by Manu Feildel. Magnum for Pleasure Seekers”.
One person who took offence to the ad wrote to the Advertising Stands Bureau (ASB) saying: “I feel like the advertiser is trying to suggest that the ice cream is Manu's penis and that women who buy the ice cream are indulging in the sensuous pleasure of Manu Feildel's penis.”
In response the advertiser said consumers will understand the statement refers to the pleasure of eating Magnum, which is an “indulgent” ice cream.
The board noted the advertisement is promoting the new ice cream, not Manu himself, and ultimately dismissed the case.
“The board considered overall that the complainant’s interpretation of the sexualised nature of the advertisement is an interpretation that is unlikely to be shared by the broader community,” the ASB says.
“Insulting” ANZ ad
Also in the latest ASB cases, the newly launched ANZ ads, showing people using Apple Pay in unconventional ways, have come under fire for “insulting” retail workers.
In the spot, two women wearing gym clothing in a cafe is buying juice. As the women talk, one of them rests her bottom on the counter so her mobile phone, in her rear pocket, can pay for the drinks using the tap and pay feature. The woman behind the counter does not look impressed and a man in the queue says, “Oh come on! Is that even hygienic?”
One complainant said the idea of the ads is an “absolute insult to those behind the counter in the retail industry”.
“It shows complete lack of respect towards other people, it promotes the use of mobile phones as if they are a part of the human body rather than a phone with clever ideas - which by the way annoy the hell out of me as they are now addictive to a lot of people like many other "bad" things in life,” the complainant said.
The disgruntled viewer also claimed the ad was racist as the cafe owner appeared to be Asian.
ANZ refutes the racist claims, saying the bank aims to represent “vibrant and diverse ethnicities” in its advertising.
The case was ultimately dismissed by the ASB.
Ultra Tune strikes again
Auto car service brand Ultra Tune is a repeat offender on the ASB, topping the list of the most complained about ads for the first half of 2016.
Its most recent ad has been criticised for setting a terrible example to young girls and painting the women in the ads as unintelligent and in need of a man to save them.
The ad shows the women pass through a car wash and when they go to raise their windows, the car shorts out and they are sprayed with water.
The advertiser responded saying the ASB has already dismissed this ad previously. It added the spot does not present the women “passively” or “unaware”, therefore are not portrayed in stereotypically helpless depiction.
Again, the ASB has dismissed the case, saying while the women’s physical appearance may be considered “sexy” to some viewers, that is not of itself “vilifying or discriminatory”.
“Irresponsible” gambling advertising
Complaints against a television advertisement from Tabcorp have been dismissed by the ASB, despite concerns it is not the right message to be giving about responsible gambling behaviours.
The spot shows reporters excitingly interviewing a man about his “hot streak”. The female interviewer says: “Convincing wins recently. You must be pretty confident today?” The man replies saying he will do his best and the interviewer tells him his mates are waiting inside the pub. The text reads, “Amazing everyday value from the TAB”.
The complainant said: The advertisement was about placing bets at your local TAB. It talked about accessibility, making it sound like it was a normal part of the day to place a bet and used the phrase ''everyday value'', which I think was highly inappropriate given the addictive nature of gambling. It is giving the impression that there is value from gambling and that it is something you should do every day - totally irresponsible messages.”
Tabcorp responded saying gambling advertising is legal and the “Everyday Value” tagline has formed part of its brand positioning since September 2015, airing more than 2700 times, with this complaint being the first against the wording.
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