An ad by 303MullenLowe for insurer Budget Direct has been found to have breached the violence section of the AANA Code of Ethics.
Budget Direct will discontinue the 45 second edit of the 'Loch Mess' TV advertisement on both free to air and pay TV after the Ad Standards Community Panel considered that the depiction of a family being attacked was not justifiable in the promotion of an insurance service.
This advertisement features a pool cleaner which “comes to life” after being struck by a bolt of lightning. The pool cleaner whirls about, causing mess and damage to the home and home contents and terrifying its occupants, before the Budget Direct team come to the rescue.
The majority of the panel considered that while the advertisement is clearly unrealistic, the advertisement does depict a violent and frightening scene in which people are threatened.
The 30 second and 15 second edits of the advertisement do not depict family members being attacked and will remain on-air.
The complainant said their two children are both "now scared" of this ad.
"I don’t think it’s appropriate to be on during the day," the complaint said.
"It is the timing of the advert when children are around, and the level of terror/destruction being portrayed in the advert. I can understand that the advertiser is trying to grab attention, but this is too intense and graphic. Completely inappropriate for children. If it was in a show/movie, it wouldn't be 'G' rated so how come it can be airer when they are vulnerable."
"This is terrifying to my child that is already scared of pool cleaners im heavily concerned it has affected her progression in swim school. And im heavily concerned that this has destroyed her confidence in going anywhere near a pool.."
In response, Budget Direct told Ad Standards that the company has an established history of creating TV commercials that show fantastical insurance events that are ‘solved’ by its ‘Insurance Detectives’.
"Our strategy for developing these commercials is to take a familiar cultural observation and throw in an element of fantasy to create engaging insurance storylines," Budget Direct said.
"In the past Australia has seen a family home felled by a Jack Russell wielding a light-sword, a super powered leaf-blower create a minor cyclone event damaging properties, a faulty Mother’s day bath-bomb fill a house and yard with destructive bubbles and riderless e- bikes and e-scooters rise up against humans.
"This advertisement is consistent with these themes. The Advertisement uses the fantastical device of the pool cleaner to add drama and fantasy to a storm event causing property damage.
"The advertisement is also a comedic treatment of the myth of the Loch Ness monster, as is evidenced by the title of the advertisement, Loch-Mess."
The advertiser went on to say that the majority of viewers would not consider this to be a depiction of violence, would understand it to be fantastical and comical and that if he panel does consider that the action sequences constitute violence, Budget Direct submits that it is very mild and low-level for the reasons outlined above.
"We also submit that these scenes are relevant to the promotion of home and content insurance and are justifiable in the context of the product being advertised. The emphasis of the Advertisement is on the damage to the home and contents, and the Insurance Detectives are holding up a “home and contents” policy."
The company said that the nature and intended purpose of the product being promoted is not principally or significantly appealing to children as the advertisement promotes insurance products.
"The expected average audience at the time or place the Advertisement appears does not include a significant proportion of children," it said.
On whether the advertisement breached the Frightening Images section of the AANA Advertising to Childrens Code, Ad Standards considered that the product would not have significant appeal to children, the content of the advertisement was not principally appealing to children and audience for the advertisement would not include a significant portion of children.
The panel determined that the advertisement did not target children and therefore the provisions of the Children’s Code did not apply.
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