Aldi’s Christmas ad is among a series of ads to be discontinued after complaints that it breached the AANA code of ethics in relation to discrimination, violence, and health and safety.
In a series of complaints, ALDI was called out for depicting a severed head on a dining table… it’s a singing potato, Karen, showing an elderly man being pulled over with what appears to be blood covering his hands (but is later revealed to be strawberry juice), being insensitive of people with skin conditions in their personified depiction of a baked potato and promoting the use of outdoor BBQs inside.
ALDI quickly defended its “Go Big on the Little Things” campaign, created in partnership with BMF, Zenith Media and Ogilvy PR. The retail giant responded to the complaints, highlighting other “exaggerated” campaigns from previous years. “ALDI wishes to advise that its marketing and communications strategy typically uses quirky, exaggerated or fantastical elements mixed with relatable humour for its brand campaigns to reach its target audience, showcase how it is ‘Good Different’, and deliver engaging and memorable advertisements. ALDI has adopted this strategy for its brand campaigns for some time now with minimal issue,” ALDI said in their official response.
The ad was found to breach Section 2.6: Advertising shall not depict material contrary to Prevailing Community Standards on health and safety for its depiction of indoor barbequing. However, on all other grounds, the ad was found to not be in breach. ALDI accepted the decision and agreed to remove all future dates for the 60″ ad, noting that the 30″ spot doesn’t contain the BBQ scene.
Disney+ also came under fire over the holiday season after complaints were made against their Hallowstream OOH campaign placement. The campaign, which featured scenes from a Disney’s Halloween-themed offering, reportedly frightened a young child when it appeared in a Perth train station.
Disney responded to the complaint by saying that “the Advertisement was aimed at a general entertainment audience and was intended to showcase the diverse range of Halloween-themed and scary content available on Disney+, including PG, M and MA15+ rated content (although none of the actual excerpts featured in the Advertisement are rated any higher than PG)”.
The campaign was found to be in breach of Section 2.3: Advertising shall not present or portray violence unless it is justifiable in the context of the product or service advertised. Disney had already concluded the campaign eight weeks before the decision and has no plans to reinstate it.
The Fox Tan was also on the hit list after their campaign was found to contain material contrary to Prevailing Community Standards on health and safety for promoting unsafe sun exposure. The advertiser did not respond to the complaints or findings.
