The Advertising Standards Bureau has found the use of the word “wanker” by a young boy doesn't breach the advertising code, in a complaint against an advert for The Australian Drug Foundation.
The ad shows two boys dressed in sporting gear kicking a ball in a backyard. After the final kick, the pair begin to mimic adult drinking behaviour, which it is implied they have seen in their sports club after a victory. They begin skulling water, pretending to vomit and one of them starts saying “who're you calling wanker?”
While the advertisement is designed to show the link between club culture and alcohol, the ad received complaints for its use of “inappropriate language.”
One complainant objected to the “depiction of children consuming alcohol” and “the profanities from the mouths of the children”.
It said: “Being a father of an 11 year old, I found it very offensive and my daughter was horrified”.
Another objected to the message of the ad saying: “I get that we want our children looked after in any sport/club situation but this ad upset me and I don't think there is any need for this kind of advertising as I don’t believe that this behaviour is carried out in the presence of children at sporting clubs and if it was I believe it is the responsibility of the child's parent to remove them from any such situation.”
However, the ASB dismissed the complaints on all grounds.
It noted: “whilst one of the boy’s does say ‘wanker’ this was filmed using paid actors who were closely monitored by their parents and health care professionals throughout the shoot and were counselled regarding the content of the advertisement and the message being delivered.”
“The board noted that the word ‘wanker’ would be considered to be offensive by some members of the community but considered that most members of the community would not find it to a word which is strong or obscene.”
It also said that using the child to say the word increases the impact of the message, meaning it is “not inappropriate in the circumstances”.
In response, the Australian Drug Foundation said: “The Australian Drug Foundation has confidently achieved the campaign objective of raising awareness of the issue of binge drinking in sports clubs, by encouraging parents and sports leaders to question the impact of their behaviours upon children and young people.
“We have done this in a way that has not caused harm to children, nor offence to the vast majority of adults who have viewed the ad.”
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