Mushroom for improvement

An ad on Reddit for entertainment venue Fortress Melbourne was found to breach Section 2.6 (Health and Safety) of the AANA Code of Ethics for promoting recreational drug use.

The ad depicted two men in a game arcade playing a driving game with the text "Drive on mushrooms without breaking the law? Only at Fortress - Do it all at Melbourne's ultimate games restaurant & bar".

The Community Panel considered that viewers may get the impression that the ad is promoting the use of hallucinogenic drugs when driving, or when playing games at the venue.  The complaint was upheld.

Upheld - AANA Code of Ethics (Health and Safety)

Let's be frank

A bus ad for Family Planning Australia featured a number of colourful cartoon legs of people wearing underwear and socks. The ad includes a QR code and the words "Talking Frank. Hosted by Rowdie Walden. A podcast covering every nook and cranny of Australia’s sex life..."

The Community Panel considered that the images in the ad were appropriately covered and were not explicit. The Panel considered that the wording of the ad was only mildly sexual and was treated with sensitivity to the relevant broad audience. The complaint was dismissed.

Dismissed - AANA Code of Ethics (Sex, Sexuality and Nudity)

Not sweet enough

A marketing email for Dessert Boxes has breached Sections 2.1 (Discrimination or Vilification), 2.4 (Sex, Sexuality and Nudity) and 2.5 (Language) of the AANA Code of Ethics.

The email contained the subject line "F**K Men [crying emoji]". The body of the email contained images of products and their names including a donut named ‘The BBC’, a phallus shaped donut with chocolate frosting.

The Community Panel considered that this fetishisation based on race did discriminate against men of colour by suggesting their importance to women can be reduced to a single body part. The Panel also found that many members of the community would find the pornographic language and fetishising context inappropriate for an ad for dessert gift delivery. The Panel also considered that the f-word had been insufficiently obscured. The complaint was upheld. 

Upheld - AANA Code of Ethics (Discrimination or Vilification| Sex, Sexuality and Nudity | Language)

Hungry for more? Check out these recently published decisions

• Telstra - Dismissed |Discrimination or Vilification
• Optus - Dismissed| Distinguishable Advertising
• 80Proof Australia - Upheld | Health and Safety
• Uber Australia - Dismissed | Discrimination or Vilification
• Kia Automotive Australia - Dismissed | Unsafe Driving

Find all the latest decisions at adstandards.com.au/cases

The Community Panel

The Community Panel is the centre piece of the advertising self-regulation system in Australia. The Panel is an independent and diverse group of community members responsible for adjudicating complaints made by the public about advertising content. Hear from our Executive Director, Richard Bean, and some of our wonderful Community Panel members as they discuss the role of the Panel.