Medibank, Visa, Sportsbet and the ACT Government have all been called into question in the latest rulings from the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB).
A Visa ad, showing an Aussie guy sporting his speedos at the beach was subject to complaint after claims that his penis was too visible in the spot.
The complainant said the camera focuses on the male actor’s genital area and viewers can see his penis, which is not acceptable and should be banned from public viewing.
The ASB dismissed the complaint, saying his attire was appropriate for a scene on the beach and there was no "overt focus" on his manhood.
Sportsbet's sexual innuendo
In another case, an ad for Sportsbet with "sexual connotations" has been dismissed by the ASB.
The radio advertisement features voice-over talent comically announcing real athletes' names that have humorously embarrassing connotations, such as Dewanna Bonner that sounds like “Do you wanna bone her”.
A complainant said she was offended by the derogatory names and the sexual innuendo: “The foreign names have a sexual connotation and the ad ends with saying, that by placing a bet online you won’t even have to mention ‘a boner’." However, the ASB dismissed all complaints against the ad.
A Richard Simmons parody
Complaints of homophobia against the ACT Government’s character Ricky Starr, based on 80s/90s cult fitness guru Richard Simmons, have been dismissed by the ASB.
The advertisement deals with the issue of people containing their recycling in plastic bags and uses the campaign character to deliver a simple message; that your recycling can’t be recycled if it is in a plastic bag.
A sample of the complaint included the following: “The voice and over the top gestures are demeaning to gay men, embarrassing and is making fun of them for being different. My gay son turned off the TV when this came on as it is such a mocking stereotype of a gay male.”
The board said the spot did not intend to mock gay people.
But think of the children...
Medibank received a complaint for its ‘I am better’ campaign, featuring a lesbian couple kissing and a same sex couple sharing a loving moment, with one complainant saying “the overt promoting of the homosexual lifestyle” could harm children and cause a sexual identity disorder.
Medibank responded saying the company does not exclude anyone based on their sexual orientation and the campaign had an overwhelmingly positive response from viewers.
The board dismissed the complaints, saying claims the scene could potentially harm children is an “interpretation unlikely to be shared by most reasonable members of the community".
This isn’t the first time complaints have been made against a same-sex kiss. In March, the ASB dismissed a complaint against Kellogg's ad which featured lesbians kissing.
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