An email ad from insurance company Medibank received a complaint for 'inappropriately' describing senior citizens with osteoarthritis.
However, Ad Standards dismissed the complaint as the phrase in question - 'You’re a bendy, body-twisting badass' - was found to not be used in an 'offensive or aggressive' manner.
The complaint submitted to Ad Standards highlighted the ad's demeaning use of language in context to her 84 year old mother.
"Really?!? It is inappropriate that they have used the word 'badass' in an ad campaign sent to their senior members. It seems that we are all supposed to be mindful and sensitive about what we say these days and careful not to offend anyone, however this apparently excludes the senior citizens of Australia, who are the majority of our population," the complaint said.
"Younger generations are campaigning for respect and rights that may have been missing in our everyday dialogue including in advertising however what about maintaining or rather promoting the respect of our aged citizens and being mindful of what may offend them?"
In response, Medibank said its intention was not to offend anyone.
"In fact, our hero message in this campaign is to celebrate just how amazing the human body is and specifically how incredible our joints are to help us reach our full potential. The concept taps into the relatable notion that ‘nothing makes you feel old quite like your joints'," a spokesperson from Medibank said.
"The language used in the headline is intended to make people feel empowered to take care of their health, rather than limited, and to celebrate what their body is capable of with the confidence that there is support available to help them do so.
"The decision to use the word ‘badass’ was carefully considered and was not meant to be used in an offensive and tone deaf sense for our older audiences, nor was it meant to exclude these older members, instead we intended to use it in the adjective sense, to mean a person can be courageous, strong, bold, fearless, tough, fierce."
The Ad Standards Panel noted that senior people or people from non-English language backgrounds may not be familiar with the colloquial term used in this context and could find the language offensive.
However, the Panel considered that the term is not used in an offensive or aggressive manner and was mild and appropriate to the circumstances. As a result, the ad did not breach any section of the code.
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