Advertising Standards Bureau Review of Operations 2014 | Page 32

2.1 of the Code. Concerns generally focus on
the use of stereotypical portrayals and accents
representative of different nationalities.
In 2014 the Board considered two advertisements
for iiNet (0321/14 and 0375/14) which raised
concerns of discrimination against Slovakians
and Romanians. Complaints raised issues of
stereotyping the accent and dress of people from
those countries, as well as implications that these
countries were inferior to Australia. The Board
view was that the focus in these advertisements
was on the internet speeds of Romania and
Slovakia in comparison to Australia and
considered that there is no suggestion that any of
the three countries are better or worse than the
others, rather that Romania and Slovakia as small
European countries have faster internet speeds
than Australia.
In one case the representation of an Asian man
(Murray Goulburn – 0299/14) was not viewed
favourably by the Board. While noting that in the
full 60 second version of the advertisement each
character is seen performing tasks with the same
level of incompetence, the Board’s view was that
the 15 second advertisement delivers a negative
suggestion that people of Asian background
are not capable of, or should not be involved in
farming and that the portrayal of the man in this
way was demeaning.
Concerns about generalisations and racism
toward Caucasian Australians were made about
an advertisement highlighting actions that can
cause depression in Indigenous people (Beyond
Blue – 0291/14). The Board view was that the
message given in the advertisement relating to
discrimination against Indigenous people was not
intended to offend Caucasian people but acted as
the mechanism to demonstrate various levels of
discrimination and deliver the important message.
Noting that the focal point of the advertisement
is the Aboriginal people and highlighting to
others what an Indigenous person feels, the Board
view was that the perpetrators were incidental
and there was not a negative view of Caucasians,
rather only a negative perception of unconscious