Complaints beaver away at tampon ad
By Elle Halliwell
The Sunday Telegraph
January 04, 2009 12:00am
A list released by the Advertising Standards Bureau found the hotly debated Kotex U tampon ad showing a woman going about daily activities with a beaver in tow was the most complained about ad in 2008.
The ad, which received more than 185 complaints, tells its audience, "You only have one of them, so look after it'' and featured the animal which viewers understood to be a reference to female genitalia.
A Domino's pizza ad in which a character named Many Toppins uses the made-up term "Supercalafreakinawesome'' was the second most complained-about ad for the year.
"While `freakin' is not particularly terrible, on the ad, it sounds more like `friggin' and was repeated as such by my four-year old,'' one of the 145 people who complained said.
The controversial Advanced Medical Institute billboard ad also prompted more than 110 offended people to complain to the ASB, making it the third most objected to.
The billboard ad was one of three on the list which were discontinued after being found in breach of the Australian Association of National Advertisers' code of ethics.
Despite orders to replace the `want-longer-lasting-sex?' billboards by September, many were simply covered with "censored'' stickers.
Women's Forum Australia spokeswoman Melinda Tankard Reist said families were very upset by the company's outdoor campaign.
"In one case we heard that a six-year-old child asked his mother, `How long is it supposed to last?''' she said.
"They're forcing parents to have conversations with their children when they might have preferred to have waited until they were more mentally developed and it was the appropriate time.''
Also in the list was an Inghams television ad which suggested there was "something seriously wrong'' with people who didn't like chicken, and a pamphlet for the Tell the Truth Coalition which featured images of aborted foetuses.
ASB chief executive Fiona Jolly said the number of complaints was higher than in 2007, with some 2350 received about more than 540 ads.
"This year we launched a public education campaign to highlight to people that there is somewhere they can raise their concerns about any advertising,'' she said.
"Since the launch, the number of complaints to the ASB has continued to climb.''
Ms Tankard Reist said advertisers and brands needed to take complaints more seriously as consumers, particularly women, would just stop buying their products.
"If advertisers want to show some corporate social responsibility they need to listen to these concerns'' she said.
"Companies need to recognise that women make the bulk of household decisions.''
Upon posting this story I had been unable to post the text AND the video, for some strange reason, I hope it all makes sense now.
You tell me is it offensive? or just a bit of fun?
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