Ad Standards lenient on complaints in 2020 that were pre-COVID norms

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, self-regulatory body Ad Standards encouraged advertisers to reconsider the content of advertisements to reflect the community standards of the time.

According to the organisation’s annual Review of Operations report, Ad Standards observed an early trend of consumers becoming sensitive to advertisements that showed behaviour contrary to health advice from the Australian Government about social distancing and hygiene to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

One of the first complaints lodged regarding COVID-19 regulations was about an ad for Bisolvon which depicted a woman coughing openly in a public park, which would have been a breach in advice to self-isolate while experiencing symptoms of the virus. Recognising that most ads at the time were made prior to the onset of the pandemic, Ad Standards community panel was pragmatic in ruling on complaints of that fashion, and provided advice to advertisers to align their advertisements with health current advice. Many advertisers chose to include a disclaimer ‘Filmed pre-COVID’ in their advertisements.

The only case that had its complaints upheld was an ad for Lotterywest which showed a man exiting a public toilet stall and hugging a stranger without washing his hands. The film was launched in 2019, but the complaint regarded an updated version that included a new voiceover stating “There’s Frank. Little does he know he’s about to be hugged by a stranger in the toilet. There he is, enter stranger. He’s won Oz Lotto. Forget the elbow taps, he’s gone all-in. Oz Lotto. Tuesday.” The reference to elbow taps was a nod to the gesture becoming the advised greeting as opposed to shaking hands. The ad was pulled after the community panel’s ruling.