Complaints against McDonald’s and Advanced Medical Institute have been upheld at a recent meeting of the Advertising Standards Board.
ASB chief executive officer Fiona Jolly said: “Complaints against advertisements from McDonald’s Australia and the Advanced Medical Institute were upheld at a recent Board meeting due to the misleading and demeaning impressions they could create.”
The Board’s verdict concerned the timing and placement of a question asked by an animated character, along with the final voiceover that “could easily create the impression that a salad could be found in a McDonald’s Happy Meal”.
Jolly continued: “The Board noted the final voiceover was accompanied by images of the toy and that the only depiction of people eating during the advertisement features a salad on the table.
The ASB decided the ad breached the Food and Beverages Code and could mislead parents and children due to its ambiguous presentation of information.
The Board also said it breached the Children’s Code as it did not represent the product in a manner that children would clearly understand.
Complaints against AMI included two radio ads were the ASB found they “went beyond light humour and into the realms of ridicule and contempt of a section of the community experiencing a health issue.”
The Board ruled that the ads went beyond information about sexual dysfunction, in an “over and negative manner”.
“Overall, each advertisement was found to breach the Code in relation to discrimination and vilification and depiction of material contrary to prevailing community standards on health and safety,” Jolly said.
