
Lynx balls ad: banned for demeaning old people
One of the most complained about ads of the year was one of the most Googled.
Unilever’s ‘clean your balls’ ad for Lynx shower gel – which was let off by the advertising watchdog for sexism, racism and bad language but banned for demeaning old people – was the second most search-for ad on Google in 2012.
The only more popular search was for a widely lampooned TV commercial for supermarket giant Coles, the search engine has revealed.
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An ad featuring ageing Brit rock band Status Quo prompted a spike in Google searches when it launched in July.
But Coles was not the most Googled shopping brand – Woolworths, eBay and Big W were more highly sought out by internet users.
Classified ads site Gumtree was the most Googled brand overall, ahead of CommBank, which was the most searched brand in 2011.
Ross McDonald, industry leader local and retail, Google Australia, said: “Aussies will take to the web to search for the ads that moved them. Brands who understand this can extend their reach beyond television by helping their customers create their own commercial breaks: making their TV spots available on sites like YouTube and promoting them to online viewers.”
Google’s list of brand searches:
Top Searches for Ads, 2012
- Coles ad
- Lynx ad
- Samsung ad
- Woolworths ad
- AAMI ad
- Coke ad
- Big brother ad
- Nike ad
- Qantas ad
- Carlton Draught ad
Top Searches for Ads, 2011
- Strongbow ad
- Bonds ad
- Telstra ad
- AAMI ad
- Toyota ad
- Coles ad
- Old Spice ad
- Target ad
- KFC ad
- Nikon ad
Top Searches for Australian Brands, 2012
- Gumtree
- Commonwealth Bank
- ANZ
- Telstra
- Seek
- Westpac
- AFL
- Virgin
- nab
- ABC
Top Searches for Australian Brands, 2011
- Commonwealth Bank
- AFL
- ANZ
- Virgin
- Westpac
- ABC
- Telstra
- Qantas
- Optus
- nab
Top Searches for Beer Brands, 2012
1. XXXX
2. Carlton Draught
3. XXXX Gold
4. Skinny Blonde
5. Crown Lager
6. Tooheys Extra Dry
7. Tooheys New
8. Victoria Bitter
9. Melbourne Bitter
10. Brisbane Bitter
Fastest Rising Searches for Beer Brands, 2012
1. Brisbane Bitter
2. Carlton Draught
3. Skinny Blonde
4. Crown Lager
5. XXXX
6. Tooheys Old
7. XXXX Gold
8. Victoria Bitter
9. Mountains Goat Beer
10. Fosters Lager
Top Searches for Shopping Brands, 2012
- eBay
- Woolworths
- Big W
- Coles
- Harvey Norman
- Kmart
- Target
- Amazon
- ASOS
- Officeworks
Top Searches for Australian Cities, 2012
1. Sydney
2. Melbourne
3. Brisbane
4. Perth
5. Adelaide
6. Canberra
7. Cairns
8. Gold Coast
9. Byron Bay
10. Townsville
Top Searches for Overseas Destinations, 2012
1. New Zealand
2. Singapore
3. London
4. Vanuatu
5. Phuket
6. Italy
7. Maldives
8. Indonesia
9. Russia
10. Mauritius