Child online safety concerns, objectifying chilli sauce ads, and race-rallying cars were all subjects of the latest round of Ad Standards rulings, released this week.
This round of offenders of the AANA’s Codes of Ethics included Coburg Toyota, mobile game Match Masters, and Cape Woolamai-based condiment company, Pickle My Chili.
Coburg Toyota
Coburg Toyota came under fire for its Facebook campaign which featured an image of the Toyota C-HR GR Sport doing a burnout, accompanied by the text: “Get Race Ready.”
The Community Panel deemed the ad to be encouraging unsafe driving behaviour, finding it in breach of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) Motor Vehicle Code.
According to the AANA, the FCAI code concerns issues that “include unsafe driving, depiction of speeding, illegal driving practices, depiction of people driving while fatigued or under the influence of alcohol, issues of clarity concerning motorsport in advertising.”
The advertiser has since discontinued the ad from circulation.
Pickle My Chili
An Instagram campaign featuring two posts with information about Pickle My Chilli’s two new chilli sauce flavours, named Julia and Vanessa, raised complaints for its captions. In its personification of the chilli sauce, the ads were criticised for using language that “sexualised and objectified women.”
One caption read: “Hi, I’m Julia. Here to titillate and invigorate your tongue. Find me in garlic and oregano or lemon and bay. I can penetrate the fattest of chicken thighs and pair perfectly in a baked ricotta. I’m full bodied and intense, perfect for all your culinary needs. Try me on eggs and rice, in soup or as a marinade for chicken. #PickleMyChili #HandMade #ChiliSauce #MadeinAustralia”
The other read: “Hi, I’m Vanessa.The headless Goddess of chili pepper. Here to entice you with my killer thighs and Lucious hips. I’m so irresistible, even the Pope can’t get me off his lips… [winking emoji] [pizza emoji] Throw me on anything, pizza, eggs, or even fish and chips!? #PickleMyChili #HandMade #ChiliSauce #MadeinAustralia”
The images used for the ads – a woman with a bottle of hot sauce, and a woman taking a bottle of hot sauce out of her pocket – were further criticised. Said one complainant: “These images are offensive as they do not honour or respect women, and contribute to a society where gender based violence and abuse is rampant.”
To which the advertisers responded: “In both ads the girls appear relaxed and comfortable, they are appropriately dressed. The script is funny and relevant to the product.”
The Community Panel found that the descriptions “draw a direct comparison between women and products to be consumed, therefore depicting women as objects and the ads are exploitative.” The campaign was found be in breach of the Code of Ethics (exploitative or degrading).
Following the findings, the advertisers said it would “remove the blurb from the two posts.”
Match Masters
A television advertisement features for the mobile PvP puzzle game was flagged for depicting a young girl playing on her mobile against a grown man from another country.
According to the Ad Standards’ report, complainants were concerned that “it encourages children to compete in online gaming against strangers, in a manner that promotes being ‘friends’ or ‘friendly’ with people online that they don’t necessarily know.”
The Community panel found the advertisement in breach of the Children’s Code and the Code of Ethics, and upheld the complaint, with the Match Master subsequently removing the offending ad.
See also:
Pregnancy, cockatoo gun violence, more girl maths: Ad Standards May rulings
Buttholes, nangs, and ‘girl math’: Ad Standards’ latest rulings