MLA Australia Day ad generates just five complaints to watchdog
A year after Meat& Livestock Australia’s Operation Boomerang Australia Day ad generated hundreds of complaints to the advertising watchdog, this year’s version – the most political in the campaign’s history – has provoked just five.
MLA’s latest “Australia Day” ad has generated few official complaints.
Mumbrella can reveal the campaign, which has garnered widespread media coverage and generated heated debate about the decision not to mention Australia Day, has failed to bother administrators at the Advertising Standards Board.
And a spokesperson for the ASB has confirmed that it will not hear any of the complaints received so far as they do not fall within the remit of the ASB which covers sex, violence, safety, taste and decency.
Just last year the MLA ad featuring SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin generated hundreds of complaints about a scene where a vegan’s kale is incinerated by commandos, forcing the ASB to hold an urgent hearing into the ad.
The complaints covered a number of issues including claims of discrimination, violence and health and safety.
A flamethrower scene in the 2016 campaign provoked hundreds of complaints.
The ad was the second-most complained about of 2016, with the TV version attracting 376 complaints, while the online version attracted a further 241 complaints.
Complaints about both versions were dismissed but the ASB was forced to release three separate reports totalling 140 pages explaining its decisions.
The 2017 campaign avoids the use of the phrase “Australia Day” altogether and focuses on the idea of welcoming boat people in what has been interpreted by some as a direct attack on current federal government immigration policy.
The decision not to acknowledge Australia Day for the first time in the campaign is also a reflection of the way in which some indigenous Australians perceive the national holiday.
However, the decision to have indigenous Australians welcoming the First Fleet to a beach barbecue has angered some indigenous leaders who have described the ad as “highly offensive”.
The ad suggests all Australians are boat people.
MLA’s ad, created by The Monkeys, this time avoids attacking vegetarians and vegans, a common theme of the campaigns since they were first launched with Sam Kekovich as the spokesperson in 2005.
As a trio of vegans walk up the beach, one of the cast asks “Should we crack a vegan joke?” before the other replies “Nah”.
Whilst I applaud the ‘creativity’ and surface sentiment behind this advertisement, sadly it is just another case of ‘white washing’ Australia’s history, allowing for Australians to breathe a collective sigh of relief given we don’t have to acknowledge our past (again). Working with our First Nation people, yes this advertisement is highly insulting as what the it depicts is far, far from the truth.
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Whilst I applaud the ‘creativity’ and surface sentiment behind this advertisement, sadly it is just another case of ‘white washing’ Australia’s history, allowing for Australians to breathe a collective sigh of relief given we don’t have to acknowledge our past (again). Working with our First Nation people, yes this advertisement is highly insulting as what it depicts is far, far from the truth.
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Meat and Livestock Australia are experts in growing farm animals, chopping them up, packaging them and marketing the bits to Australians. Where do they get off thinking they should preach to us about anything politicial? Nothing irritates me more than sanctimonious brands. Stick to marketing.
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No complaints because so many know that adjudicating bodies won’t listen to Mr and Mrs Australia. So, in the privacy of the ballot booth, they get their complaint heard and acted upon, and vote Trump, Brexit, Wilders, One Nation and even Derryn Hinch. Here’s the difference- think Roman Polanski or Bill Henson.
The aboriginals on the beach should have been shown paddling in too, and setting up the first BBQ in original costume. They should have stopped all the later boat people from “invasion day” with Exocets.
Anyhow , the smart person who got a bunch of right wing graziers to finance this, deserves the Everest award for the seemingly impossible.
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Just goes to show indigenous people complain a lot less than vegans.
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Well said
Would an international audience have any inkling this was an ad for Australia day?
No complaints! Maybe not to the right people but certainly are many complaining on social media.
Stick to farming and leave the politics alone.
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My only complaint is its lack of originality.
Industry magazine Film Ink has the same complaint.
See : https://filmink.com.au/2017-doesnt-the-2017-australia-day-lamb-ad-look-familiat-to-you/
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The Film Ink link has changed to:https://filmink.com.au/features/
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When an ad, and especially ones such as MLA’s previous Australia Day ads, are perceived as being offensive, the end result is that rather than complain to the relevant advertising watchdog, the majority of consumers simply reduce their spending on or stop buying the product in question.
MLA’s job is to market meat produced by Australian farmers, meat consumption in Australia has steadily been declining for a number of years, it makes no sense for a marketing organisation to present an ad which whilst it may garner a lot of instant attention – albeit though for all the wrong reasons – which in the long run only serves to further alienate a steadily decreasing consumer base.
Maybe the penny, or should that be the Australian consumer dollar, has finally dropped at MLA, hence its rather bland and uncontroversial ad this year.
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Which social media sites would that be?
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