Thirsty work | Trim trouble | Dairy drama | Party line
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Thirsty work
An outdoor poster for Gatorade raised concerns about an unsupported health claim and broader health and safety implications after making the claim 'water wasn’t made for this.’
The Community Panel found the ad wasn’t discouraging people from drinking water, but instead highlighted how the sports drink could give an extra boost when exercising or sweating heavily. They also noted that there was enough scientific evidence to back up the claim.
No breach – AANA Food and Beverages Code and AANA Code of Ethics
Trim trouble
An online ad for ASOS raised concerns about promoting an unrealistic body image.
The Community Panel noted that while the AANA Code of Ethics allows for diversity in body shapes and sizes, the model’s image appeared to have been posed and edited in a way that made her waist look unnaturally thin.
Breach – AANA Code of Ethics (Health and safety)
Dairy drama
An Oreo ad raised concerns about whether calling their signature biscuit filling ‘cream’ was misleading, since the product contains no dairy.
The Community Panel considered that most people wouldn’t interpret ‘cream’ literally in this context and would understand it as describing the texture and taste, rather than an actual dairy ingredient.
No breach – AANA Food and Beverages Code
Party line
A Facebook ad for Falvey’s Hotel nightclub event raised concerns about exploitative and inappropriate sexual content.
The Community Panel found that the images of the women were exploitative, particularly with the use of the phrase ‘spill area’ over one of the models. They also found the level of sexuality and nudity wasn’t appropriate for a broad Facebook audience.
Breach – AANA Code of Ethics (Exploitative or degrading, and Sex, sexuality and nudity)
Interested in more?
- AAMI Insurance – No breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- Supercheap Auto – No breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- GWM – No breach | FCAI Code and Code of Ethics
- Steel Blue – No breach | AANA Code of Ethics
- South Australia Department for Infrastructure and Transport – Breach | AANA Environmental Claims Code
Ad Standards Community Panel gathers for year-end training
Last month, the Ad Standards Community Panel met in Sydney for an insightful training day. It was fantastic to bring the Panel together before the end of the year to collaborate and deepen their understanding of community expectations in advertising.
Have your say on the AANA Code of Ethics
The AANA Code of Ethics is currently under review, and the AANA is inviting public feedback to ensure the Code continues to reflect evolving community standards.
If you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet and would like to have a say, read the discussion paper and submit your feedback by Friday 16 January 2026.
Media mentions
- Steel Blue wins in ballsy ad review (Ragtrader)
- Ad Standards says no to Didi and ‘six middies’ (Mumbrella)
- ASOS caught in Australian ad review (Ragtrader)
Want advice on your ad campaign?
Ad Standards can provide expert guidance to help make sure your ad is remembered for the right reasons.
We offer fast and cost-effective advice to help you avoid possible breaches of the advertising codes including the Code of Ethics, Environmental Claims Code, Food and Beverages Code and the Children’s Advertising Code.
