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AUSTRALIA |
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Meat & Livestock Australia |
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Adjudication of the Advertising Standards Board of Australia:
Description of the Advertisement:
This television advertisement has personality Sam Kekovitch in an "address to the
nation" setting. Strains of Advance Australia Fair are playing and the room is full of
Australiana. Sam says:
My fellow Australians, the incidence of unAustralian behaviour over the past
year was enough to make me choke on my lamb chops. And it was all down
to one thing: not enough lamb. For example, Australian models holidaying in
Asia would get in a lot less trouble if they carried a couple of lamb chops in
their handbags. Lamb could have prevented the boofheads perpetrating
violence on our beaches - it's bloody hard to bash someone with a cutlet.
And we might not have lost the Ashes if our cricketers picked up lamb chops
instead of mobile phones. Why on Earth did they dispatch lurid text
messages to English trollops, when plenty of Aussie sheilas would gladly
target their middle stump? Yet as mishaps spread across the land like bird
flu through a Chinese chicken coop, what were we doing about it? Bugger
all. It's time to remind ourselves of what lies at the core of our national
identity: a lamb chop on a barbie.
Being Australian doesn't mean you have to call the opposition captain a
wanker - even if he is. Or smother everything in tomato sauce till it
resembles an outpatient in a casualty ward. Or put on a pair of budgie
smugglers. I'd prefer it if you didn't. And you don't have to spend every
Friday night on the piss till your best friend looks like Elle Macpherson,
throw up in a cab, then trip over the garden gnome before passing out on
your front lawn.
In fact, to be as Australian as I am, don your apron (mine says "Chop Gun"),
whack some nice, juicy lamb chops on the barbie, invite everyone over - if
you can't pronounce their name, just call them "mate" - and celebrate living
in the best bloody country on Earth. So don't be unAustralian. Serve Lamb
on Australia Day. You know it makes sense. I'm Sam Kekovich.
The Complaint:
Comments which the complainants made regarding this advertisement included the
following:
“The derogertory (sic) and offensive language (Bugger) sets the tone in this so
called advertisement even further marginalising and alienating the
minorities…in this country. The advertisement is homophobic and racist…”
“…discussing ‘English Trollup’s (sic) and Australian sheilas...I am English…I feel quite angry when referred to as an English Trollope (sic)!”
“…refers to Pommie Trollopes (sic)…Aussie women ‘tackling a cricketers
middle stump’”
“Australians are so racist, they don’t even realise they are being racist half
the time. If you lose the Ashes…don’t become such bad losers”
“I do not think references to racial riots and tensions is proper let alone on
prime time TV”
“racial slurs”
“...reference to recent unrest at Cronulla beach…something along the lines of ‘if
you’d given them lamb cutlets they couldn’t have hit each other'”
“if you have someone at your barbie and you can’t pronounce their name, just
call them mate…I felt to be racist and offensive”
“…abuse being hurled at our cricketers…taking drug smuggling and bird flu as
a joke…”
“references to racial riots (and) lewd text messaging...”
“I believe that the ad will bring un-Australian hatred towards people belonging
to the Buddhist religion. As they are vegetarians it singles them out and I think
this sort of religious vilification should not be shown on TV”
“this advert makes me ashamed to be an Australian”
“the inclusion in a very short space of time of words such as ‘bugger’, ‘bloody’,
‘piss’…were quite unbelievable”
“My two children, aged 6 and 7, just learned the words ’bloody’ and ‘piss’.”
“Words like Bugger, Wanker and Trollope (sic) …are not acceptable in our
home...”
“… overt crude language and with sexual references.”
“Trollop: A woman of Slutish (sic) appearance and actions...Wanker: One who
Mastreebates (sic)…Pissed: not in dictionary.”
“Our family found words like ‘piss’, ‘wanker’,’bugger’ offensive also offensive
innuendo like ‘Australian women targeting the middle stump’.”
“Stiring up and making fun of the riots that are a potential powder keg
throughout our nation at the present time…”
“…abuse being hurled at our cricketers”
“mention of Australian cricketers…if they had used lamb cutlets instead of
SMS messages on mobile phones, Aussie sheilas would have gone for their
middle wicket…”
“References to cricketers phone calls and stumps or wooden legs or something
like that along with trollopes (sic) are deeming ofensive (sic) to both women
and National Sporting Teams”
The Advertiser's Response:
Comments which the advertiser made in response to the complaints regarding this
advertisement included the following:
We do not believe that any reasonable person, given the satirical nature of the
commercials, would take offence from any sexual references.
The ad refers to "boofheads perpetrating violence on our beaches". It makes no
reference to race (there are boofheads in all communities) but rather refers to an
issue of the day which the whole community (including Sam) justifiably finds "Un-
Australian". In fact Sam calls for greater acceptance and unity - "if you can't
pronounce their names, just call them "mate".
There are also nationality and country references in "English trollops" and
"Chinese chicken coops".
We do not believe these statements in context would be interpreted by any
reasonable person to be racially derogatory, and therefore would not offend the
Code.
The use of language (particularly the words "on the piss", "wanker", "bloody" and
"bugger all").
These words are described in the Macquarie Dictionary with the following
meanings:
on the piss - on a drinking spree
wanker - one who is self-indulgent or egotistical
bloody - very; extremely
bugger all - very little; nothing
Given the context in which these words are used in these advertisements,
particularly when delivered by noted satirist Sam Kekovitch, and that they are in
widespread colloquial usage within the Australian community, we do not believe
they violate the Advertising Standards Code.
We do not believe that these commercials offend community standards, nor violate
any section of the Code. This view is further reinforced by the reaction of media
who have seen and extensively reported on, broadcast and generated discussion
on the commercials as editorial.
We therefore respectfully request that the Board dismiss the complaints.
The Determination:
The Advertising Standards Board (the Board) considered whether this
advertisement breaches section 2 of the Advertiser Code of Ethics (the "Code").
The Board noted the complaints made by a number of people and the response of
the advertiser. The Board also noted that the advertisement had been given a "Parental Guidance" classification by Commercials Advice Pty Ltd, which means that
the advertisement can only be shown on television in PG timeslots.
The Board considered whether the advertisement breaches section 2.1 of the Code
relating to portrayal of people in a way that discriminates or vilifies a person or
section of the community on account of nationality, race, ethnicity, sex, sexual
preference and religion.
The Board considered that the references in the advertisement to the recent racial
tensions in some parts of Australia were not intended to, nor would be seen by most
members of the community as, vilifying people on account of their race, nationality
or ethnicity. The words of the advertisement do not condone or incite such
behaviour. In fact the words of the advertisement encourage Australians to get
together with friends of all cultural backgrounds.
The Board considered that the references to women in the advertisement were a
satirical comment on the stereotypical behaviour of some sporting personalities
rather than being intended as vilification or discrimination against women of any
nationality.
The Board did not consider any aspect of the advertisement vilified people on
account of their sexual preference.
The Board did not consider that the encouragement to eat lamb in the
advertisement vilified or discriminated against people on account of their religion as
it was not encouraging people who don?ft eat meat to do so.
The Board also considered whether the reference to sex (the reference to Australian
cricketers "middle stump") was consistent with section 2.3 of the Code. The Board
considered that the reference was subtle and not inappropriate given the adult
audience at which the advertisement was targeted and the PG timeslot that it had
been given.
The Board considered whether the language in the advertisement was consistent
with section 2.5 of the Code. The Board noted the use of "wankers", "on the piss",
"boofheads" , "trollops" , "bugger all" (which were used once in the advertisement )
and "bloody" (which was used twice in the advertisement). The Board noted that
most of these words are common colloquial terms in Australia, and that none of the
words were used in an obscene way in the advertisement. The Board noted that
some families would not use or be exposed to these words but that many members
of the community would be and would understand that the words were being used
in a colloquial sense that is consistent with the "larrikin" style humour of many
people in Australia.
The Board noted that the amount of language used in the advertisement was at the
high end of what could be considered to be appropriate in the circumstances but
that it did not consider that the words were strong or obscene given the
overwhelming satirical and humorous tone of the advertisement.
Finally, the Board considered whether the advertisement inappropriately portrayed
people on account of their occupation, namely cricketers. The Board considered
that the cricketing references were a cliche and did not consider that they breached
the Code.
Further finding that the advertisement did not breach the Code on any other
grounds, the Board dismissed the complaint.
Overall the Board considered that the advertisement was a humorous attempt to
persuade people to buy lamb, particularly on Australia Day.
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