Maximus faces growing public outrage over new ‘insensitive’ Australia Day campaign
Image: Sum Ababydeer
Frucor brand Maximus rolled out a new outdoor poster campaign on Australia Day featuring the copy line: “I Survived Australia Day” which is attracting a growing tide of negative public comments due to its perceived insensitivity to Indigenous Australians.
Many first Australians consider and refer to Australia Day as ‘Survival Day’.
The brand is far from a rookie when it comes to pushing the marketing envelope, having previously capitalised on disgraced footballer Todd Carney’s social media picture of him urinating into his own mouth.
The brand has also sent out police-style hangover patrols in nightclub districts offering the energy drink to revellers.
Maximus and Todd Carney
However, this new effort may prove a step too far as the posters urge people to take selfies next to an image of a giant bottle of the drink.
Complaints have flooded in to the Maximus Facebook page from people slamming the brand for its cultural insensitivity.
“Your banner at Southern Cross was a pretty unpleasant sight today.” wrote Ella Maeve on the Maximus’ Facebook page.
“I can’t believe the insensitivity of ‘I Survived Australia Day’ made it past anyone, let alone a whole marketing team.”
Other commenters expressed similar outrage.
“Blown away to see your advertising at Southern Cross today. Seriously? Whoever thought that was appropriate needs to take some time out for a history lesson,” posted Creenagh Fay.
Survival Day protests were held around the country as Indigenous Australians worked to draw attention to the impact that white settlement has had on their communities.
Frucor has yet to respond to Mumbrella’s request for comment.
Simon Canning
If its acceptable to celebrate Australia Day on the 26th then it should be acceptable to run this ad. You can’t have it both ways.
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Glad to see the identity politics mob weren’t left with nothing to complain about today.
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@Alex – You could certainly avoid using the word survive.
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Considering the amount of alcohol fuelled violence and coward punching that happens on typical Australia days, (or any day for that matter) surviving Australia day is quite an achievement.
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@alex – I just can’t even with that.
That attitude is probably what got such stupidly tone deaf and insensitive messaging like this across the line in the first place.
There’s marketing jokes done well, and marketing jokes done badly, and a time and place for pushing the boundaries. When survival in cultural context of Survival Day means still standing after attempted, long term, systematic genocide, it’s hardly a marketing message for jokes though.
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Much as I don’t particularly like the campaign, first Australians have never called Australia Day ‘Survival Day.’
They call it ‘Invasion Day.’
http://www.creativespirits.inf.....z3yQKX26bz
So a bit misleading Mumbrella.
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I get when your context is framed this way it is very insensitive, but I can imagine how they were blind thinking about sports drinks as recovery from an Aus Day hangover. Bit tricky for topical outdoor that doesn’t move at the speed of social commentary I guess, so best to avoid the uncontrollable.
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Now certain words are off limits? Get a grip.
Real indigenous Australians don’t give a toss – it’s the boring, mouthy activists who pretend to represent their views who cause all this static.
Do us a favour and ignore them.
And use the word “survive” as often and in as many different contexts as possible. Think of it as aversion therapy for dreary finger-wagging Leftists.
We all have a duty to stamp out this censorious nonsense. Nip it in the bud, now.
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Honestly, just an honest mistake nothing to get worked up about …., calm down people!
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This country has become a total complete nanny State. Whatever happened to the laughter, jokes and joie de vivre that Aussies were famous for? – put down, shouted down and silenced so that we now live in fear of expressing what we really feel for fear of upsetting the leftie PC brigade. What a sad place we have arrived at.
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More moral high-ground from Mumbrella. Birthday cakes, sports drink ads ! [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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Isn’t it fun poking the delicate little SJWs? Prodding them back to their safe spaces where they can contemplate what to be offended by next.
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@Billy C and Craig Mack. My point is that this is clearly an ad about hangovers. If we have to worry about the use of the word ‘survive’ and the outrage that it causes then clearly we need to look further than sports drink advertising to the root of the issue – the treatment of our indigenous population. Worrying about this ad whilst still celebrating on the 26th seems to me to be hypocritical.
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How can they be offended by something they don’t recognise or believe in? Storm in a sports drink.
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Oh looks everyone, another excuse for an outrage! Being offended is becoming a profession, nay, a religion.
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I assume all of you “outraged” by this ad are also happy for Indigenous Australians to accept Australia Day awards and then use the platform to voice their anti-(white) Australian views? You can’t have it both ways. Either everyone is entitled to free speech regardless of whether or not it “offends” someone, OR no one is entitled to free speech.
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Yes people get pissed and pissed off on Aust Day. “Survival” in the indigenous context is about surviving acts of genocide, land grabs, disease, being taken away from parents etc. Australia Day or Invasion Day- call it what you will, reflects survival to first nations as well as reclamation and celebration. Turnbull made reference to it. If in doubt listen to Stan Grant’s speech on you tube. So it is not about being PC, more about cultural sensitivity and respect particularly on this day. This is yob marketing to the legless -fine but at least reflect on how insensitive it is.
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I can see the point here, i can understand the rhetoric, but I am left shaking my head at the conclusion of the thought process.
It seems that one cannot smile today without offending someone, or some group of someones. This is Australia Day, and so far as I am concerned, it applies to all Australians and all visitors or residents who wish to participate.
Why do we seem to be picking up rocks to drop on our own feet all the time?
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The PC police are out in force again. Learn to laugh at ourselves again or we are going to become a country of uptight arises.
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Anyone who says this is too PC or people are being overly sensitive has their heads in the sand.
This is about a lack of diversity of thought, because most of advertising and media industry is still over represented by white males under 40. There is a white innocence that continues to pervade our marketing and until that is resolved, this crap will continue.
What can we do to change for their better? Focus hiring more people in brand/media strategy, creatives and content production from different backgrounds so there are diverse thinkers involved in making stuff, whatever that is, from a variety of places with alternate perspectives. The results will make our wonderful country a more interesting place to live – because we will no longer be sold to with sexism, xenophobia and juvenile stupidity.
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@Josh
Where are the percentages upon which you base this argument of yours?
If ads were to be made with strict regard to ethnicity, then I imagine that aboriginal and TS Islanders would hardly appear at all, Asians in a few, middle Easterners, in a few, and the vast majority, would be UK/Irish and European Caucasians.
Ads are made to follow a course, to sell product, and to increase awareness, there are many ways to achieve this, and we see a wide representation within the confines of our own nation and the order of things, but we don’t see very much being sold, as you put it, via sexism, xenophobia or juvenile stupidity.
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Get over it. No genocide there are more indingeous people now than ever. Or is that to accept the states generosity. The Poms Irish etc made this country able to be good to all. God bless Australia and ya to ozzie day. You can go to Centrelink Monday for your baubles.
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What a joke.
Australia just isn’t Australia anymore.
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