Australia Bans Ad Solely Because One Woman Pushes Another
Posted in: Uncategorized
Australia's Ad Standards Board recently axed the TV spot below for Cougarlife.com because a scene where the voluptuous spokeswoman pushes a younger woman into a wacky pratfall was considered too violent for broadcast. As an American used to entire blocks of ads during the Super Bowl where people get hurt for no reason, I'd say they were overreacting.
Oddly, the complaint they received didn't mention violence at all. Rather, it took issue with the ad's misogynistic tone and strongly implied guarantee that cougars will have sex with you if you use that website.
"I found the ad very offensive," the consumer complaint said, "as it depicts an older women inferring that the men in the ad would be better 'taken care of' by her, rather than the younger women. It seemed to suggest that she would be a better 'mate' for the men in the ad than the younger women." But in the end, the standards board decided the comedic violence was "not justified in the context of the service being advertised."
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