Ad watchdog throws out lawyer’s complaint against ‘unhygienic’ Carlton Draught ad
Complaints made about a Carlton Draught billboard that argue that it encourages unhygienic toilet habits among men have been dismissed by the advertising watchdog.
When the first complaint was made last month, by a lawyer known by the initials JB, it prompted considerable debate on Mumbrella, with the complainant adamant that the Ad Standards Bureau would eventually find in his favour.
According to JB, the ad “implies that men do not wash their hands when they are at the pub, or that it is unmanly to do so.”
Oh well JB that was your 15 minutes, now you can go off and do something useful.
I also note that according to Fosters:
Men not washing hands is a “common misconception”, whereas
According to the ASB:
Men not washing hands is a “stereotypical or real male practice”.
They can’t both be right.
But the decision still stands, for now.
Seriously, people like this exist – “I have nothing else to do with my life apart from have a sook at a billboard that I am obviously reading far too much into”, you’d think a ‘lawyer’ would be smart enough to spot social commentary humour.
Take the joke and move on with your life mate, next you will be complaining that the Jim Beam commercial is offensive because it causes people to make fun of animals….
So JB latest vexacious ASB complaint has, predictably, failed.
So now I’m more interested in how JB is going with the AACT and his pro bono work.
I think the ASB has said it all for me.
Common sense prevails.
It would appear my, evidently narrow, view, that the advertisement takes a quite unnecessary risk with public health and safety, is quite out of step with the collective view of the Board of the ASB, about which I knew very little before making this complaint which I raised in all sincerity with the health of our community (and more interesting advertising) in mind.
All can I say is that I was wrong about how at least a majority of the Board would view this matter and Dave, AdGrunt, Groucho et al (apologies to any other high profile detractors I have omitted), despite what I think about how they express themselves from time to time, showed a far better understanding of community and ASB attitudes than I did, as well they might, if they be the seasoned ad industry types I presume them to be.
Good call (if not “well done”) and good luck.
Thanks for being such a good sport JB and providing some great banter.
I agree with Dave. It’s good to share a (metaphorical) spa after a tough game. Perhaps a beer after we’ve washed our hands too. Anything but Carlton..
OK … who pissed in the metaphorical spa?
Thank God for some common bloody sense