Peters Ice Cream's new brand Fandangles may use dancing, cartoon marshmallows to promote its products, but the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) has cleared of it of marketing unhealthy habits to kids.
The ASB received complaints for three separate Fandangles television commercials which all use cartoons to promote different flavours of ice cream.
One complaint read: “Peters Fandangles ice creams are clearly a product directed primarily to children. The advertisements employ brightly coloured, simple animation of a kind that would
overwhelmingly appeal to younger children.”
It added that the “advertisement is designed to engage young children with the products and brands, forming positive associations with energy-dense products through simplistic, playful, cartoonish and brightly coloured advertising.”
However the ASB has dismissed all complaints against the advertisement. In one complaint the industry watchdog asserted that despite the use of animation, the advertisement was not directed at children.
In the case of the other two complaints the ASB noted that “whilst animation has become more sophisticated over the years and the use of animation does not necessarily mean it is directed at children, in the board’s view the style of animation and the space setting in this instance would be of appeal to children”.
Despite this, the ASB said that while the ads are promoting unhealthy food, it is not encouraging excess consumption.
“The board considered that it has consistently determined that an advertisement for a food or
beverage product, regardless of its nutritional value, does not of itself promote unhealthy
eating habits,” it said.
Peters responded by saying the product is advertised to “families” and not children.
“The ice cream category is one that consumers have a strong emotional connection to and
‘fun’ plays an important role in communicating and exciting consumers,” Peters said.
“Peters Fandangles is a new ice cream brand which was launched to appeal to consumers of all ages.”
The brand was created with Leo Burnett Melbourne in an unusual approach which saw the agency and Peters develop it from scratch.
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