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ASB clears Diageo’s ‘disrespectful’ swimwear ad

A complaint alleging Diageo Australia’s new Bundaberg Rum ad referencing ex-PM Tony Abbott is degrading to men has not been upheld by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB).

The advert is part of Bundaberg Rum’s new AU$20 million ‘Unmistakably Ours’ campaign

The ad is part of Bundaberg Rum’s new AU$20 million ‘Unmistakably Ours’ campaign, which aims to celebrate Australian spirit. It features a close up image of a man in swimwear accompanied by the headline, ‘No one does prime ministers like us and no one does Rum like Us’.

The complainant/s said the advertisement is degrading to a former prime minister, demeaning to men, and gratuitous and inappropriate.

They labelled it “extremely offensive” and “completely unacceptable”, adding that the “very close-up photo” bears no relevance to the alcohol advertised.

“I think it was extremely disrespectful to our ex-prime minister, current prime minister and all future prime ministers,” they added. “Nowhere else in this world would you get away with degrading a prime minister in that way? Whether you like them or not I thought it was very tacky and in very bad taste. It’s very sad that its ok to advertise in that disrespectful way. No wonder the younger generation has little respect.”

In response, the Diageo said that the language used in the advertisement “is clearly the opposite of vilification or discrimination”, and “does not pass commentary on whether wearing this particular style of swimwear is a good or bad thing.”

“One of the things that makes Australia brilliantly unique is our (ex) prime minister’s famous penchant for the surf and wearing this particular style of swimwear – something that we have all celebrated in good humour across a spectrum of media channels in the past.

“This iconic Australian image is never described or lauded as employing ‘sexual appeal’ when it is used in the press (indeed, in the very newspapers in which this advertisement appeared) and is more broadly seen as the opposite – an out-dated fashion for older gentleman that is celebrated as an Aussie tradition.”

The ASB acknowledged that “some members of the community may be uncomfortable with an image of a man in speedos”, but considered that “the actual content of the advertisement was not inappropriate” in context.

Finding that the advertisement did not breach the code on other grounds, the board dismissed the complaints.

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