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Ad Standards Community Panel Cases

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E.g., 10/08/2022
E.g., 10/08/2022
June 2010
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0266-10 Kimberly-Clark Aust Pty Ltd
This television advertisement features a series of vignettes with a young boy and young girl on different sides of a split screen. The advertisement shows the children playing with different toys, sleeping, dressing up in different outfits, reading books and getting messy in different ways. The advertisement then shows a boy and girl Huggies Nappy, demonstrating that Huggies Nappies have tailored absorbency for boys and girls. The advertisement finishes with the split screen disappearing to reveal both children coming together to hug their mum.
Dismissed Toiletries 22/06/2010
0267-10 Pharmacare Laboratories
Three young men are loading surboards in to a camper van next to the beach when one of them spots an attractive woman heading their way wearing a bikini. He makes the other two men aware of her, and they all make appreciative noises whilst the camera slowly pans up the woman's body. The next scene shows a man sitting in a red convertible, playing a guitar and singing a song about spotting attractive women and sharing the sight with your mates.
Upheld - Modified or Discontinued Toiletries 22/06/2010
0268-10 Colgate Palmolive Pty Ltd
A woman is shown pushing her bike down a path, the basket of which contains fruits, a bottle of milk and some Palmolive NutraFruit Shower Gel. She is imagining herself showering with the Shower Gel as a voiceover describes it. She comes to a fountain, takes off her dress and then gets in and begins using the Shower Gel. Final voiceover states "so pleasurable, it's addictive".
Dismissed Toiletries 22/06/2010
0270-10 UnitingCare Wesley
A view of a corregated iron wall covered in grafitti. The voice over talks about homeless people being invisible and the viewer gradually becomes aware that there is an apparantly naked man lying down facing the wall, and he has been marked with grafitti also. The man moves and stretches and then a final voiceover states "Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're not there."
Dismissed Community Awareness 22/06/2010
July 2012
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0266-12 Reckitt Benckiser (Aust) Pty Ltd
The advertisement opens in a hallway and moves to a bedroom where we can hear the noise of a creaky bed. The top of a man is seen over the top of the back of the bed. As we get closer, we can see that the man is using Durex Massage 2 in 1 gel to assist in massaging his partner’s back. The man is dressed in boxer shorts, whilst his partner is featured lying on her stomach, with her lower half covered with a sheet. The man pauses in his massage and uses the gel to quieten the creaking bed, before resuming. The Advertisement closes with a Product shot.
Dismissed Toiletries 11/07/2012
0267-12 Commonwealth Bank of Australia
James Magnussen is seen training in Sydney - he is jogging along a track by the sea. Suddenly three men dressed up as the letters C, A & N run up behind him. Side by side they form the word CAN and cheer him along as he runs. Then a man dressed as the letter T appears spouting phrases of discouragement (in a humorous fashion). T walks backward during a conversation between the letters and then stumbles off a low ledge into the ocean.
Dismissed Finance/Investment 11/07/2012
July 2011
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0267-11 Energy Watch
An Asian man with a strong accent asks a male householder if he would like to switch to his energy company and save money. The man is agreeing and we hear a whistle blowing and then a blonde woman appears and tells the householder that he should shop around for the best deal using Energy Watch to get the best deal. The householder's wife then drags him away by his ear.
Upheld - Modified or Discontinued House Goods Services 27/07/2011
0269-11 PZ Cussons Australia
A family bathing with Imperial Leather Foamburst in their A380 airbus bathroom. The parents are behind screens so we only see their shoulders and upper chest, and the children are in a pool at their feet.
Dismissed Toiletries 27/07/2011
0270-11 Sexpo Pty Ltd
Various people say they are coming to the Sexpo and we see footage of dancers and attendees of the Sexpo whilst the male voiceover says that adult stars will be there and you could win a car.
Dismissed Sex Industry 27/07/2011
0272-11 Renault Australia
The Fluence vs Megane TV commercial highlights Renault's competitive spirit, which has driven Renault's progress since 1899. Two different cars, the Fluence and Megane are featured throughout in a fantasy environment designed to highlight the differences between the two vehicles.
Dismissed Vehicle 27/07/2011
0275-11 ACTTAB Ltd
A re-enactment of ten jockeys lining up for a horse race under starters orders. Three of the jockeys in the race are wearing sheik's robes, although it is clear they are not in fact sheiks. The voiceover, as the race starts, suggests that pre-Flexibet, you almost had to "own an oil well" to make a combination bet with ACTTAB, while the jockeys dressed as sheiks jump to the front of the race almost immediately followed by the Flexibet logo and ACTTAB logo and slogan.
Dismissed Gambling 27/07/2011
0276-11 Hungry Jacks
The complaint is concerning the Hungry Jack's 'Jack's Packs' TVC showing a series of rabbits in a Hungry Jack's restaurant promoting the availability of a 'pack' of menu items available for a group of 2, 4 or 6 people. The concept relies on the inference of multiple your mates, multiply your savings.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 27/07/2011
0286-11 Hog's Breath Cafe (Australia) Pty Ltd
The TVC is full of colour, dance, fun and movement, showing one young girl smiling and holding a computer generated heart shape and various tiles of her and different food items.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 27/07/2011
August 2013
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0268-13 Coca-Cola South Pacific
The advertisement described how the Coca-Cola company is striving to fight obesity.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 14/08/2013
0270-13 AAMI
I am writing to lodge a complaint to an advertisement by AAMI in which a woman supposedly in childbirth is ringing up AAMI and a doctor is peering between her legs.  
Dismissed Insurance 14/08/2013
0271-13 Cringila Hotel
The advertisement uses three "barmaids" in low cut clothing to invite viewers to go to the Cringila Hotel to "have fun", suggests they will be there and includes a barmaid who fondles a billiard ball.
Dismissed Bars/Clubs 14/08/2013
0273-13 Colgate Palmolive Pty Ltd
Advertising a naked woman head to toe showering with shampoo.
Dismissed Toiletries 14/08/2013
0274-13 Target Australia Pty Ltd
The designer holds a girls breast positing to the bra and calls the breasts "bangers".
Dismissed Clothing 14/08/2013
0280-13 Ford Motor Co of Aust Ltd
Ford advertising their city active braking system
Dismissed Vehicle 14/08/2013
July 2010
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0269-10 Wyeth Consumer Healthcare Pty Ltd
Scenes alternate between a woman dressed in sportswear entering a building and going for a swim, with the same woman sat on her couch wearing a dressing gown and blowing her nose. A female voice over says "If you think cold and flu...will stop me, you don't know Dimetapp." A male voice over then describes Dimetapp's "fast acting liquid capsules" and the final screen shot has the words "Dimetapp. What a relief".
Dismissed Health Products 14/07/2010
0273-10 Heart Foundation (ACT Division)
In a hospital room a worker in blue scrubs can be seen clearing stuff away to the left of the screen, whilst in the centre of the screen you see the head and shoulders of a man lying on a gurney. His head is tilted back so you can clearly see his face, and his eyes are open. As the camera pans in on his inert form, he begins to talk: "I wish I could have my heart attack again." He is then shown in various places around his home, still naked except for some shorts, and still covered in hospital wires and stickers, commonly used to monitor the chest.
Dismissed Community Awareness 14/07/2010
0275-10 Smith's Snackfood Co Ltd The
Two women are sat at a desk and are joined by two men, who sit opposite them and place their feet on the table. They are not wearing any shoes or socks and they have Doritos wedged between their toes. The first man says "Dori-TOES" and offers his foot up to the second man, who takes a Dorito from between the first man's toes and eats it. The second man then offers his own foot to one of the women, who shrinks back in disgust. The words "Got a better idea?" appear on screen, followed by "See your ad on TV & win up to $50,000. www.doritos.com.au"
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 14/07/2010
0279-10 Metlink Victoria Pty Ltd
A heavily made-up woman is standing at an open window, in the background we see a younger man in the woman’s bed. The door opens and the woman's husband enters the room. He asks her what is going on and grabs her by the shoulders and says “This time you’ve gone too far!” and the image begins to blur. The image sharpens and shows the woman sat on a bus, reading a book. A fellow passenger is shaking her, trying to wake her, saying: “You’ve gone too far… You’ve missed your stop”.
Dismissed Travel 14/07/2010
0281-10 Yum Restaurants International
Two men and a woman walk up to a counter in a KFC and start to discuss what to buy their friend, Josh. They can't decide between a burger and chicken, so the KFC employee who is serving them suggests they buy an Ultimate Burger Meal. A male voice over then describes the Ultimate Burger Meal and we see the contents of the meal on the screen. The female orders four of these meals, even though one of the males tries to amend the order to three. The final shot is the text KFC. Can't beat that taste.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 14/07/2010
0284-10 Advanced Medical Institute
A woman is trying to reach for a cookie jar in a cupboard but cannot reach. She calls to her husband to help. He opens his robe and she looks over him responding with with shock and awe at what she sees. She then appears to stand on his erect penis to obtain the required height to reach the jar.
Dismissed Professional Services 14/07/2010
0285-10 Chris & Marie's Plant Farms
At the start of the ad Chris shows his bare torso and legs and says 'nude up with neighbours be gone trees' while holding a plant (in pot) in front of him with Marie next to him.
Dismissed Other 14/07/2010
0286-10 Mazda Australia Pty Limited
A man and a woman are shown driving a red mazda through a cafe: the woman passenger leans out and grabs two drinks as they pass the counter, but the car does not stop. The next scene shows 2 women driving in a white mazda: the passenger is reading a party invitation for an hour's time and the car is shown to apparantly drive through a clothes shop. When it emerges, the two women are wearing party clothes. Then a blue mazda is shown driving through a surf shop. There are two men seated in the front and a female seated in the middle back seat.
Dismissed Vehicle 14/07/2010
0287-10 Unilever Australasia
A large group of women are swimming in the ocean towards a beach. Other women are climbing down a steep cliff. Once on the beach the women, who are all dressed in bikinis, run towards a smiling young man standing on the beach wearing board shorts and spraying himself with two Lynx cans. The expression on the women’s faces is one of determination. The following slogans appear on the screen: “Spray more, Get more.” and “The Lynx Effect”.
Dismissed Toiletries 14/07/2010
0288-10 Webjet
We see a close up of a hand. Whilst it clicks its fingers, a male voice over talks about snapping up the best airfares and the time it can 'burn' trying to book means you often miss out on hot deals. The fingers of the hand are shown lighting up with flames, then the other hand comes in to shot and is shown extinguishing the flames. You then see a picture of an airplane with the words "webjet.com.au" then the words "Experience the wonder" The hand comes back in to view then and we can see that the thumb has been bandaged.
Dismissed Travel 14/07/2010
0291-10 McDonald's Aust Ltd
A man walks into a darkened room drinking from a McDonald's cup. In the background you can hear football commentary, and you can see light flickering from a TV screen. The man looks at something in the room, smiles then takes a noisy slurp of his drink. The camera pans round to show he is looking at his 2 male friends who have fallen asleep on the sofa - they are curled up together, with one leaning on the other. The noise awakens one of the men who sits up very suddenly when he realises he is leaning on his friend.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 14/07/2010
0293-10 Fantasy Lingerie
The left hand side of the screen flashes up various static images of different models wearing different styles of lingerie. On the right hand side of the screen it says "Fantasy Lingerie, Sizes 6-22" and the various different descriptors flash up: "Sensual", "Provocative", "Alluring", "Affordable". A female voice over describes the product and finishes by saying "Fantasy lingerie, only available online at www.fantasylingerie.com.au"
Dismissed Clothing 14/07/2010
0294-10 Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd
As a milkman is leaving a pint of milk on the doorstep of a house, the door opens and the milkman finds himself looking at the feet of the householder. They are wearing fluffy open toe mule slippers, and as the camera pans up the body (showing varicose veins and hairy forearms) we see that the householder is wearing a silky nightie and gown and is very heavily made up. They are playing with the collar of the gown and appears to have moustache stubble. The householder says, in a deep voice, "Good morning, Johnny. Wanna join me for breakfast?
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 14/07/2010
0296-10 Ultra Tune Australia
A female customer drives a vehicle into an Ultra Tune Centre for a service. The mechanics look on admiringly and advise the customer not to hurry back. They are then shown stroking the car appreciatively whilst a male voiceover says, "Ultra Tune. We love cars so much. That's why more people are getting their new car serviced at Ultra Tune ... And keeping their new car warranty. "
Dismissed Professional Services 14/07/2010
July 2012
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0280-12 Nestle Australia Ltd
The Advertisement shows children actively playing in a common backyard setting with the super “Boost the Calcium of Milk by nearly 70%” Voice over makes statements such as “Active play is very important for building strong bones. But are your kids getting enough calcium in their diet? Milk is a great source, and I love mine with MILO because it boosts the Calcium of Milk by nearly 70%. Find out more about MILO and the MILO play movement on Facebook.” The Advertisement references a Nestlé commissioned State of Play study.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 25/07/2012
0282-12 Coles
There are two near identical versions of the same television advertisement, one which was broadcast in metropolitan Sydney and the other broadcast in metropolitan Melbourne. Advertisement 1 The focus of Advertisement 1 is a mock press conference where the comedian and actor Dawn French introduces a "save $100 guarantee" that Coles Car Insurance is offering when customers who are over 30 and live in Sydney switch from a comprehensive NRMA, AAMI or GIO policy to Coles comprehensive car insurance.
Dismissed Retail 25/07/2012
0284-12 Bosch
The Advertisement is for Bosch’s ActiveWater Dishwasher. The Advertisement features a comparison between the energy and water usage of hand washing as compared to the Product. The advertisement makes two claims in relation to energy and water usage. 1. hand washing uses nearly 8,000 litres more than the Product over a period of 1 year; and 2. every dishwasher in the Product range can save hundreds of dollars in utility bills by using up to 60% less energy than hand washing.
Dismissed House Goods Services 25/07/2012
0287-12 Toyota Motor Corp Aust Ltd
The television commercial features world famous driver Keiichi Tsuchiya who maps out the ultimate track for this car by driving it on a temporary proving ground. He leaves behind an imprint of what he believes is the ultimate track for the 86 based on his experience in driving and creating race tracks.
Dismissed Vehicle 25/07/2012
0293-12 Unilever Australasia
Advertisement depicts an infomercial style scenario with a presenter and guest appearance by Sophie Monk who is a tennis player. She goes on to show how the Lynx product can clean a variety of dirty balls. Members from the audience partake in the challenge of getting their balls cleaned.
Dismissed Toiletries 25/07/2012
August 2011
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0283-11 Specsavers Pty Ltd
A man cheering for a young boy winning a running race. The man mistakenly believes the boy to be his son, Angus, because the man is not wearing glasses. The TVC concludes with a voiceover in words to the effect of 'Should have gone to Specsavers'.
Dismissed Professional Services 10/08/2011
0288-11 Woolworths Supermarkets
Various people stand inside or outside branches of Woolworths and say "this is my Woollies". In one scene a girl says, "I love all the cute boys around here" and we then see a young male Woolworths employee. The final shot is of the Woolworths logo.
Dismissed Retail 10/08/2011
0295-11 Australia Gas and Solar
A cartoon of a woman saying this house is freezing followed by photos of adults and children next to various types of gas heaters. Two of the photos show young babies sat next to and touching gas heaters.
Upheld - Modified or Discontinued House Goods Services 10/08/2011
August 2013
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0286-13 Nissan Motor Co (Aust) Pty Ltd
With the amount of deaths and complaints about drivers not doing the right thing -  for Nissan to have an ad that with a couple faking a trip to hospital speeding to hospital, gives the opinion ofl fluanting the law, when in fact there is no emergency, no baby, just making out the car can go really fast - Nission is being plain irrisponsible .
Dismissed Vehicle 28/08/2013
0288-13 Cupid plc
Ad for a dating/social website. Male and female getting changed into underwear/lingerie, then walking down the street half-naked.
Dismissed Sex Industry 28/08/2013
0289-13 Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd
The brand power woman describes the breakfast cereals coco pops and nutri-grain as now available in a drink. We see a kitchen with a mother and children in it and the children take a breakfast drink each and leave the house.
Dismissed Food/Bev Groceries 28/08/2013
0291-13 Big W
A man in his 40s is looking at girls clothes saying "Emerson" in a big W store he then imagines him-self in what looks a club pressed up behind a young girl. He then realises he is in the girls section of a store pressed up against a female mannequin. A young girl walks past in the clothing advertised & he stares again saying the words "Emerson".
Dismissed Clothing 28/08/2013
0292-13 Blackmores Ltd
A Blackmores commercial asking for people to commit to visiting their website (blackmores.com.au) for their 'littlelesslittlemore' campaign.
Dismissed Health Products 28/08/2013
0293-13 Sanofi Aventis
Male drinking a concoction of milk/vegetation from a boot.
Dismissed Health Products 28/08/2013
0294-13 Hyundai Motor Company Australia Pty Ltd
The avertisment is a badly loaded small truck losing its load inn front of a car following.
Dismissed Vehicle 28/08/2013
August 2012
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0294-12 Heart Foundation (WA Division)
There are three advertisements as part of the LiveLighter campaign launched in Western Australia on 24 June 2012. There is one 30 second advertisement (“Leftover pizza”) and there are two 15 second advertisements (“Unhealthy snacks” and “Walk to shops”). "Leftover pizza" shows a man grab leftover pizza, then grab a roll of fat around his belly and re-consider his choice. The camera zooms inside his stomach to show visceral "toxic" fat around his organs.
Dismissed Community Awareness 08/08/2012
August 2011
Case number Ad Standards description Determination Category Mediasort descending Determination date
0296-11 Crawford Productions Pty Ltd
A male voice over says, "Kidnapped. Nine innocent children and their teacher" and we see a man in a chicken mask holding a gun and herding children and a female teacher in to the back of a transit van. We then see some scenes from the Fortress movie which include more men in different masks and children screaming.
Dismissed Media 24/08/2011

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