Ad watchdog reprimands Sunraysia Marine for beeped out words in radio ad
Boat repair store Sunraysia Marine has had its ad censured for beeping out “easily identifiable” swear words.
The radio advertisement was labelled in a complaint to the Ad Standards Board as “totally inappropriate, very tacky” and “abusive”.
Sunraysia Marine said beeping out swear words was discussed with an Austereo Radio representative prior to the preparation of the concept for the ad.
“We were told it would not be an issue if it was beeped out, Austereo prepared initial script which we modified slightly but not to do with swearing.
“Austereo in Albury, I believe, produced the final ad which went to air,” the advertiser told the Board.
The ad, which features men expressing their disappointment when their boating and fishing equipment doesn’t work, did not use strong, obscene or inappropriate language, the Board said.
However, the beep sound effect did not completely cover the swear word and most people would be able to make out the phrases “fuck it”, “start you bastard” and “you’re fucking joking me”.
“The Board considered that the words beeped over were not used in a light-hearted manner, rather they were used in an aggressive and frustrated manner.
“The Board considered that the beeping effect was insufficient to hide the strong language being used in the advertisement, and that the repetition of the strong language, and the aggressive manner in which it is used, amounted to strong language,” the Board said upholding the complaint.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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