Cosmic concern | Thin line | Runway risk | Fat cat
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Cosmic concern
A Telstra TV ad featuring aliens raised a variety of concerns, including potential religious discrimination, inappropriate language, bullying, and content that might be too scary for children.
The Community Panel found that the ad's themes and language were mild and it did not discriminate against any religion.
No breach – AANA Code of Ethics (Discrimination or Vilification, Violence, Sex, sexuality and nudity, Language, and Health and safety).
Thin line
An online ad for Aje clothing raised concerns about promoting unhealthy body image standards.
The Community Panel found the way the model was posed, styled, and photographed made her appear unhealthily thin, promoting an unrealistic and potentially harmful body ideal.
Breach – AANA Code of Ethics (Health and safety)
Runway risk
A Facebook ad for fashion brand Mister Zimi raised concerns about safety.
The Community Panel found the ad, that showed a woman riding a bike without a helmet and drinking coffee, promoted unsafe behaviour.
Breach – AANA Code of Ethics (Health and safety)
Fat cat
A TV ad for B Lab, a professional services business, showing a scene with a “fat cat” suddenly being pulled away raised concerns about potential animal mistreatment.
The Community Panel considered the cat was simply being picked up, not handled roughly, and the sound effects suggested mild annoyance, not distress.
No breach – AANA Code of Ethics (Violence)
Interested in more?
- Bec + Bridge – Breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- Cotton On Group – No breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- Kia Australia – No breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- McDonald’s Australia – No breach | AANA Food & Beverages Code and AANA Children’s Code
- Jaguar Land Rover – No breach | FCAI Code
- Ghanda Clothing – No breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- Black Knight Erotica – Breach | AANA Code of Ethics
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Greenwashing
We recently made a submission to the Senate Inquiry into Greenwashing, sharing the latest data and insights on the operation of the Environmental Claims Code.
Here are some key takeaways:
The introduction of the new AANA Environmental Claims Code sets a higher bar for advertisers – particularly in relation to future claims, substantiation, and overall presentation that may suggest environmental benefits.
From January 2023 to August 2025, 44 ads were assessed under the Environmental Claims Code. Of these, 9 were found in breach, 10 were voluntarily modified or removed before formal assessment, and 25 were found not in breach.
Every ad found in breach within this period was modified or removed following direction from Ad Standards. This 100% compliance rate shows both the effectiveness of the regulatory process and the industry’s willingness to act.
Our 2024 research found that 19% of Australians are concerned about greenwashing in ads, while 43% are concerned about misleading or deceptive ads more broadly – reflecting that a significant portion of the community is interested in transparency and accountability in ads.
Media mentions
- Aje, Bec + Bridge forced to remove adverts (Ragtrader)
