A complaint about an outdoor advertising for Magnum’s Chocolate Toffee by Manu ice-cream has been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Board (ASB); the complaint was that ‘Magnum for Pleasure Seekers’ was all about (and this is a direct quote) “the sensuous pleasure of Manu Fieldel’s penis”.
The complaint was over outdoor advertising, including a number of billboards and buses, with Feildel and the copy: “New chocolate toffee by Manu Feildel. Magnum for pleasure seekers”.
The complainer saw something a little different to an ice-cream: “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 Fieldel’s penis.”
https://youtu.be/I886RBjiODg
In response a representative from Unilever Australasia said “The Magnum product has a bite taken out. Consumers will understand that the statement refers to the pleasure of eating a Magnum which is an indulgent ice-cream.”
The ASB sided with Unilever saying it “noted the complainant’s concerns that the advertisement suggests that the Magnum ice cream depicted, and the text, “Pleasure Seekers” are references to Manu Feildel’s penis.
“The Board noted that the advertisement is promoting the new chocolate toffee flavoured Magnum and considered that the Magnum ice cream depicted is clearly intended to be representative of the product and not of any part of Manu Feildel.
“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.”
