Updates to the AANA F&B Code | Washing up truth and accuracy in ads | Relevance is key | Concerns raised about community awareness TVC
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Bulletin
May 2021 #131
Updates to the AANA F&B Code
This month, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) launched its updated Food and Beverages Advertising Code.
The new rules strengthen protections for children, further reducing the opportunity for children to view advertisements promoting occasional food or drinks (treats), as well as harmonising the definition of a child to a person under 15 years.
The new rules will apply to all food and beverage advertising across all media from 1 November 2021. More information is on the AANA website.
Washing up truth and accuracy in ads
Complaints that raised concerns about misleading environmental claims in a television ad for a dishwasher were dismissed by the Ad Standards Community Panel last month.
The Panel considered that the figures used to calculate the water-saving claims and benefits of the dishwasher over hand washing are based on research and not misleading or deceptive.
The Panel also considered concerns raised about the claim made to donate water to farmers for every hashtag shared on social media, and found this was sufficiently substantiated, verifiable, and not misleading.
Relevance is key
A wagering service commercial has breached Section 2.2 (exploitative or degrading) of the AANA Code of Ethics, after it was found to portray women as commodities in an exploitative manner.
The Ad Standards Community Panel considered that the women are depicted as props to promote the man’s playboy image and the cumulative effect reduced the women to objects, and upheld the complaints.
Concerns raised about community awareness TVC
Complaints about violence and discrimination against men have been dismissed by the Community Panel after complaints were received about a community awareness ad about domestic violence against women.
The Panel found the imagery was not graphic or inappropriate in the context of the important message aimed at a broad audience and did not suggest that all men commit domestic violence or that women could not be responsible for domestic violence.
While community awareness ads are an effective way of spreading the word about important social issues, advertisers should always be mindful of the audience and ensure any violence shown is justifiable.
You can find all Ad Standards Community Panel determinations on the website at AdStandards.com.au/cases
