Ad standards has banned an ad for a plastering firm, branding it “violent” and featuring “sexual innuendo”.
Bergmann Plastering’s vehicle advertisement shows its logo and the slogan “First we get plastered then we fill your holes.” Ad Standards’ community panel considered that the slogan was seen to be degrading to women.
Based on a 17 April ruling, the advertising watchdog decided to uphold a complaint made by a member of the public on the basis that it breached Section 2.2 and 2.6 of the AANA Code of Ethics.
“I think their strapline ‘we’ll get you plastered then fill all your holes’ goes beyond sexual innuendo and infers elements of sexual assault. In this day and age around safety for women, consent – this is grossly out of step with community expectations and doesn’t need to be in circulation,” commented the complainant.
Another ad from Darwin Metroll was also hit with an Ad Standards ruling. The ad in question featured a cartoon showing two men walking through a swamp, having a conversation. One of them shoots a cockatoo, and the other says, “Jerry, it’s Magpie Geese season, not cocky season”.
The ad was banned for its violence, having also breached section 2.3 of the code.
“Although the depiction of violence in an advertisement may be relevant to the story being told in the advertisement, any violence must also be justifiable in the context of the product being advertised, or else will be in breach of this section of the Code,” explained the panel.
It’s reminiscent of the logic used to chastise boys playing violent video games.
The panel noted that “while the advertisement is a cartoon it does depict a person shooting an animal and this constitutes violence.”
Does anyone remember Tom and Jerry? B&T hopes you’re all ok.
“A cartoon about 2 hunters in which one shoots a cockatoo which is a protected species. It’s portrayed to be funny, but is actually illegal,” commented the complainant.
The panel did acknowledge that the advertisement was a cartoon, and no actual birds were harmed in the production of the ad. Thank God.
Another ad, an Instagram reel from ME bank showed a man in the kitchen, stating that if he has time for his toast to pop, then he has time for “something more important.” The words “girl math” appeared on screen only to be crossed out and replaced by “good math.”
“Implying that maths done by girls is not good. This is discriminatory language,” Ad standards said.
The panel considered that this suggestion is condescending and promotes a negative gender trope. It was seen as “vilifying” and “discriminatory”.
The ad was found to breach Section 2.1 of the code.
A radio ad by City Fertility Centre featuring a voice that repeats the line “You’re still not pregnant” was also banned for its insensitivity.
“It is low, triggering and bullying. I turn my radio off every time it comes on,” commented the complainant.
“The panel considered that this was a highly sensitive topic, and this advertisement’s repeated use of a distressing phrase was not treating the topic with the sensitivity that would be expected by the community. The panel considered that the lack of sensitivity in the advertisement could be damaging to the mental wellbeing of vulnerable people.”
