Bulletin

January 2021  #127

Updated AANA Code of Ethics effective from 1 Feb 2021

A reminder to all advertisers that the updated AANA Code of Ethics and Practice Note applies from today (1 February).

The updates provide increased guidance around a range of issues covered by the Code, including overtly sexualised imagery, graphic violence or horror, and gender stereotyping in advertising content on all online and offline platforms. The Ad Standards Community Panel will apply the updated Code to all complaints considered from 1 February.

Asleep at the wheel

An insurance commercial depicting drivers asleep at the wheel of cars and trucks has been cleared by the Ad Standards Community Panel of any breaches to the AANA Code of Ethics.

While driver fatigue is of significant concern to the community especially during the holiday period, the Community Panel considered that most members of the community would not interpret the fantastical atmosphere of the advert to encourage or condone dangerous driving behaviour.

It’s all about the platform

While the Community Panel has previously upheld safety complaints about people being shown inside fridges and freezers, a complaint lodged in December about a radio ad describing a drink as like 'taking an ice bath inside a giant walk-in refrigerator' has been dismissed.

The complainant was concerned the messaging encouraged children to behave in an unsafe manner, however the Community Panel considered that the radio medium lessened the risk of copycat behaviour since the actual behaviour is not visible, and also distinguished walk-in refrigerators from home fridges.

Showering in the nude 

A TVC for a car rental company has raised eyebrows after a man’s bottom was shown while he was showering.

The Community Panel found the amount of nakedness to be mild, the overall treatment of sex, sexuality and nudity to be sensitive to the broad audience and found no breaches of the AANA Code of Ethics.

Paw-trayal of men dismissed

Complaints about an ad showing a man getting a makeover at the groomers with his dog and another ad showing a man acting as a dog on a greenscreen have been dismissed after the Community Panel found them not to be discriminatory on the basis of race or gender, while noting the potential harm in comparisons of people with dogs.

The discrimination or vilification determination summary details that if a person’s ethnicity is not the focus of an ad, any role they play in the ad is unlikely to be seen as a reflection on that ethnicity. However, advertisers should still be careful to ensure that their creative does not include imagery which could discriminate or vilify an individual or group.

Verti-no

Concerns raised by a complaint about a TVC showing a woman suffering vertigo after finding out she has won the lottery have been upheld.

The Community Panel noted the concerns that the content was mocking a potentially serious condition and determined the advertisement breached Section 2.1 (Discrimination or vilification) of the AANA Code of Ethics. In response to the determination, the advertiser removed the commercial from air.

You can find all Community Panel determinations on the website at AdStandards.com.au/cases