MLA’s Australia Day vegan flaming lamb ad cleared by advertising watchdog
The Advertising Standards Bureau has given the all-clear to Meat and Livestock Australia’s controversial ‘Operation Boomerang’ ad despite it drawing more than 600 complaints.
The ASB fast-tracked an extraordinary hearing into the ad after complaints began to flood in about the scene showing commandos smashing their way into a vegan’s home before using a flamethrower to burn his furniture.
Despite the high number of complaints, the ASB said the ad, starring SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin and Lambassador Sam Kekovich, did not promote violence towards vegans.
The ad shows Chin launching ‘Operation Boomerang’ to bring home Australians for Australia Day.
Ironically, many of the complaints were about scenes that did not appear in the television version of the ad. An ASB spokesperson said people were complaining about scenes lifted from the online version of the ad which news and current affairs programs broadcast while reporting on the new campaign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERnou-sofus
MLA presented its case to the ASB board yesterday at an extraordinary meeting and the board handed down its determination this afternoon.
In the statement just released the ASB said: “In the majority of the Board’s view a depiction of torching of the vegan food is an exaggerated and humorous response to the food that is not lamb – a portrayal of the food being less preferable to the advertised product, and not inciting hatred towards people who are vegan.”
It also rejected complaints about the use of the word ‘boomerang’ in the campaign.
“In making a determination about concerns about the term ‘boomerang’, the Board noted that most members of the community would be familiar with the origins of a boomerang and its connection to Indigenous Australians.
“The Board also noted, however, the Macquarie Dictionary definition of ‘boomerang’ to include a colloquial meaning of ‘something that is expected to be returned’. The Board noted that other than the use of the word ‘boomerang’ the advertisement does not depict, refer to or parody any Indigenous Australians or Aboriginal culture.”
It also rejected complaints about violence in the ad.
“Specifically, the Board noted complaints that the overall look and feel of the advertisement is violent and suggestive of terrorist attacks, that it is too violent for children and that the scene of a SWAT team member using a flamethrower is violent.
“In its careful consideration of these concerns the Board noted that the advertisement is clearly a depiction of a fantasy situation where SWAT-style teams are bringing Australians back to Australia for Australia Day.
“The Board agreed there are exaggerated and unrealistic situations which have a look and feel of a movie and that scenes of a SWAT member coming in through a window or ceiling are clearly in this vein.
“Similarly breaking down the door of the man in the vegan scene is consistent with the fantasy movie feel of the advertisement. In the majority Board’s view these images are all clearly fantasy and unrealistic and are not depictions of violence nor are they likely to encourage similar behaviour in real life.”
Meat and Livestock Australia said that the campaign would continue to focus on convincing consumers to eat lamb on Australia Day.
The MLA has contested throughout that the complaints process following the launch of the campaign that the ad is meant to be lighthearted in nature and that the MLA did not set out to cause offence to vegans.
However, last week MLA sent a take-down notice to an animal rights activist who had used seven seconds on film from the ad to make a parody, with the film featuring graphic images from a slaughterhouse.
Radio network Nova has partnered with MLA to run a competition to help bring Australians home for Australia Day and a spokesman for the meat marketer said it had been a huge success.
Update:
MLA has responded to the ruling with a statement.
“Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) welcomes the decision by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) that says the Australia Day lamb advertisement has not breached the AANA Code of Ethics,” a spokesperson said.
“As a responsible advertiser and marketer, MLA operates in compliance with the provisions of the AANA Code – and this year’s Australia Day lamb campaign is no different. ”
“The role of the campaign remains to promote and build demand for Australian lamb, which is some of the best quality lamb in the world.
“The advertisement has been viewed more than 4 million times across media channels and feedback remains overwhelmingly positive.
“MLA is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for delivering marketing, and research and development programs for Australia’s red meat industry. MLA encourages Australians to enjoy quality Australian lamb this Australia Day.”
Simon Canning
The MLA contested throughout that the campaign was meat to be lighthearted in nature and it did not set out to cause offense to vegans.
Spot the error – that made me laugh
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Vegan outrage in 3… 2… 1…
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And sanity prevails
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Yes the sanity of taking away a baby animal from it’s mother to kill and eat, a great thing to encourage.
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@Adrian, why don’t you moan about something that actually matters like human lives?
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Adrian, now you’re making me hungry…mmmm….lamb on a spit. Yummy yum yum
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If people think farmers take baby animals off there mothers to eat ,then they need to learn more about agriculture. Baby’s animals don’t have enough meat on them
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Vegans were never claiming to be the “victims” of this insulting and violent ad campaign. Those babies who are ripped away from their mothers, slaughtered and chopped up to be eaten are and will continue to be the real victims of a violent ad campaign supporting a violent industry baed on death and oppression.
That ad Ad Standards Bureau found nothing wrong with a violent, racist campaign does not take away the fact that this industry is founded and based on that very violence.
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If people think farmers take baby animals of their mothers to eat ,then they need to learn more about agriculture. Baby animals don’t have enough meat on them to eat
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YouTube, Social Media etc has increased the ability of ads to be shared. Therefore ‘500’ outraged viewers being a ‘record’ is not a big deal. The ‘record’ possibly includes the entire history of the ASB, ie days before Internet.
Great outcome for Advertising to proceed creating ads that cut through and deliver for the client, rather being subjected to the ‘number of complaints.’
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I hope vegans and vegetarians now initiate a major boycott of Australian lamb…
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MOG. Why don’t you take the time and educate yourself about Veganisim and animal agriculture then you will realise how stupid your comment was. What do you think Veganism is about? Just animals feelings? Seriously MOG take the time and do some research because once you realise that Veganism is helping human lives in a great deal then you will see how much of a dummy you really are.
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How about the lions and bears that eat their own young when they’re hungry?
Shall we discourage that too?
Hit them up on mumbrella.savannah.com. This thread is going bonkers over there.
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If you don’t care about animal welfare then try caring about our environment. If you think climate change is bollocks then care about your own health.
Having an opinion is fine, but at least check the facts around animal agriculture and its environmental impact before belittling others for their concern.
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More than 4 million views and just over 600 complaints. What is all the hoo-hah about? Of course, going before the ASB has increased the viewing numbers and pushed the message more — for which ‘thank you, vegans’
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No coverage of the MLA’s attempt to get the BTS spoof banned? https://vimeo.com/151448380
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@anthony The word lamb means baby sheep!! Go read something or watch something before saying something so ignorant. Yes we absolutely do eat baby animals.
@mog why does it have to be one or the other?why cant humans and animals be important enough to ” moan about”?
@adrian good on you for trying to challenge these fools, but ultimately it’s pointless.
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So the argument against this campaign is not the creative execution it is the fact that it sells meat? It would have been a strange brief if it identified the target as “vegan blowhards”
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Because any one person has a finite amount of time and so at some point, yes you do have to prioritise what you care about it.
Like the 25-30 million people still in slavery, 50 million refugees or 3 billion people that live below the poverty line (2 million of which reside in our own country).
So next time you see an ad containing a vegan’s meal being set on fire try not to equivocate it with human suffering on scales never seen before.
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Sorry, Sarah – lamb does not mean baby sheep, according to my dictionary it means young sheep and “the meat of young sheep”. No mention of babies – as others have commented, not enough meat to make a mouthful. So as far as saying something ignorant, let everyone else judge your comments.
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@sara I don’t need to read or watch anything, I live it every day .I have well over 3000 of them running around the paddocks & they are extremely healthy . They would have a better standard of living than you. ( I can only imagine that you live in a smog filled feed lot they call a city)
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Justice is served
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Where can I buy my next lamb chop
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I don’t personally take any offense to the ad.. It’s the meat industry having a little dig at Vegans to make Veganism look “uncool” as always. Marketing. I think many vegans get annoyed not because we are offended for ourselves, but because “jokes” about Veganism actually make fun of animal cruelty, not us personally. People don’t get that. As vegans we are standing up for animals, not putting people down.
Vegans are just people, from all walks of life, who don’t eat animals, who don’t support animal cruelty. @MOG some people believe in equal rights. Who are you to say one being’s suffering is more important than another’s. Vegans don’t support the cruelty and eating of humans either. Though personally I’d save a lamb over you in a second. You seem like a real jerk.
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