2012 advertising watchdog rulings feature possums and mad scientists
UPDATED: Decisions released included complaints ranging from racism towards German people to the advertisement of KY Gel.
UPDATED: Decisions released included complaints ranging from racism towards German people to the advertisement of KY Gel.
UPDATED: Some of the first Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decisions have been released for the year.
Included in these were nine decisions were released on January 18, whose rulings were made in December, and included complaints ranging from racism towards German people to the advertisement of KY Gel.
Settled
One decision was settled, a complaint about the veracity of the statement that the Possum Master Kill Trap on the Possum Master website killed “possums and a variety of other pests quickly and humanely…producing an immediate kill”.
The complainant said that in trials with ferrets and possums the trap failed to render the animals unconscious quickly and consistently enough to meet the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee guidelines for kill traps.
The ASA Chairwoman of the Complaints Board Jenny Robson noted that the advertisers had taken steps to change the advertisement to avoid confusion in the future and had made changes to the possum trap to enhance its effectiveness, and thus ruled the complaint settled.
No grounds to proceed
More than eight complaints had no grounds to proceed, with one involving a radio advertisement for the Wellington Ice Skating Venue that featured a man with a German accent explaining the formation of ice.
The complainant said the advertisement was gratuitous racism that poked fun at German people and linked German people with the mad scientist stereotype.
The Chairwoman thought the advertisement was light-hearted in tone and with a level of humour.
“She was satisfied that the advertisement did not raise any concerns with regard to race relations.”
Another complaint centred around an advertisement for KY Intense Arousal Gel, which involved a geyser.
The complainant said the advert was offensive and embarrassing when their teenage children saw it.
“I see no need for this type of advertising, in my mind it is as unnecessary as adverts for sanitary products!"
Ms Robson, referring to a previous ruling, said the advertisement did not contain anything that was likely to cause widespread or serious offence in light of the generally prevailing community standards.
“She also ruled that the advertisement had been prepared and shown with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society.”
Another complaint involved a television advertisement for Coca Cola where people had taken Coca-Cola bottles swimming and then let the empty bottles go so they shot into the air, to be caught by others.
The complaint said the advertisement modelled littering.
“Keeping our rivers and lake areas pollution free is difficult enough without this sort of message.”
The Chairwoman said that at no time were any empty bottles shown floating in the water and none were left behind, but that the actors were playing games with the bottles, and ruled that the advertisement did not breach the Code of Ethics.