Advertising Standards Bureau - Review of Operations 2013 | Page 41

Language (Section 2.5, AANA
Code of Ethics)
Research released in 2012 showed that the
community was conservative in its attitude toward
language, especially the use of certain words and
where children may hear or view strong language.
The Code requires that advertisements contain
appropriate language and not include strong or
obscene language.
With each case concerning language in 2013
the Board considered the medium of the
advertisement and the most likely audience which
may be exposed to the language. In advertisements
where children may view advertisements,
the Board is more conservative in respect to
language acceptability.
The number of complaints concerning language
has decreased by 5 per cent in 2013 compared
to 2012. This decrease is due to inflated 2012
language complaints when two highly complained
about advertisements for Unilever (0231/12 &
0293/12) and Johnson & Johnson (0305/12)
concerning the words balls and vagina received a
higher level of complaint.

Obscuring terms
When offensive terms are beeped or obscured, the
Board considers the context of the advertisement
and whether the term is sufficiently disguised.
Beeping an obscenity in a radio advertisement
was considered sufficiently inaudible in the
cases of Fuller Bros (0159/13) and C-Bomb
Hot Sauce (0405/13) and the Board cleared the
advertisements. In the case of Billy the Tool Man
(0069/13) the Board dismissed complaints as the
offensive terms were not explicitly suggested and
were a matter of listeners’ interpretation.
The Board has also considered play on words
which disguise the true profanity. For example
the word blan-fuddy-tastic (Essential Beauty –
0228/13) was deemed acceptable as the term
was obscured. Similarly, advertisements which
substituted the inferred profanity fucking with
the word booking (Booking.com - 0360/13) and
trucking (Darwin Truck parts – 0371/13) were
dismissed by the Board. The headline don’t drive
like a… with an image of a rooster implying
the word cock (Motor Accident Commission –
0085/13) was dismissed in 2013 consistent with
variations considered from this campaign in prior
years. The Board’s view was that the profanity was
not explicitly stated and the intended word was
unlikely to be understood by most children.
Obscuring the profanity fuck with symbols
will not always guarantee its’ acceptability. The
obscured term f*&k (Spudbar – 0095/13) was
cleared by the Board as the symbols sufficiently
obscured the profanity. However, in another case
(Neon Records – 0279/13) which stated F*** me,
I’m famous was in breach of the Code. In this
case, the Board considered while the expletive
is not represented in full the suggestion of the
word fuck is strong. The profanity was alluded
to in conjunction with an image of a near naked
couple and is used in a sexual context. The Board
considered that a reference to fuck me is strong and
would be considered obscene by many people and
its use in outdoor media is not appropriate.

Religious expressions
Advertisements using religious themed
terminology have consistently attracted

Review of Operations 2013

complaints concerning blasphemy or offensiveness
to religious beliefs. In 2013, the Board dismissed
a case where Christmas elves exclaim what the
hell (Foxtel – 0009/13) deeming the context of
the advertisement light hearted and humorous.
Although hell may be considered a religious term,
the Board considered it to be part of common
Australian colloquial and vernacular language.
An abbreviation OMFG ( Just Group – 0184/13)
intended to stand for Oh my fucking God was
found to be strong or obscene language that
breached Section 2.5 of the Code in poster form.
The Board considered that since the abbreviation
was so well-known, it was not subtle and had
clear reference to the profanity. The Board noted
that there is a large portion of the community
that would take offense to this term and that to
refer to Oh my fucking God is blasphemous and
inappropriate in the circumstances. The same
abbreviation, however, was cleared in social
media form ( Just Group – 0187/13) considering
the different audiences of the poster and social
mediums. The advertisement in poster form
ha HX