Coffee chain pulls ‘Sticky Boy’ ad after complaints of ‘violence’, ‘bullying’ and ‘paedophilia’
An ad for a Perth coffee drive through chain featuring a man pouring a sticky drink on a young boy has been pulled, following complaints of violence and paedophilia to the Advertising Standards Board.
Complaints said the ad depicted “violence” “bullying” and “paedophilia”
Dubbed ‘Sticky Boy,’ the ad for Muzz Buzz, produced by production company Mad Kids, shows a young boy with a beverage being poured over his head by a man in a car. When the man finishes pouring the drink, he touches the boy’s head, licks his finger and says “Delicious sticky boy.”
The complaints argued the ad was “creepy” and “inappropriate,” as it depicted child abuse and bullying.
“At best the treatment of the child is abusive, child depicted as passive and powerless, at worst has creepy overtones of sexual predator,” one complainant said.
Another complainant commented: “Pouring a drink over someone is humiliating and degrading. An adult doing so to a child is totally unacceptable. This ad looks more like child abuse or even leaning towards paedophilia due to the dialogue.
“At no time during this ad does the child look remotely happy. Child abuse, bullying, child paedophile, waste of product- drink, the words the driver uses, the actions of the drive[r] towards the child, the waste of product as there are many today starving and thirsty people in our local communities.”
Despite the influx of complaints, Muzz Buzz argued the campaign was made in the “spirit of displaying weird and interesting examples of ‘taste-driven silliness'”.
The team behind Mad Kids has previously created off-beat ads including ‘Henry and Aaron,’ for North Metropolitan TAFE. They were also commissioned by the ABC to create comical strips for its Fresh Blood initiative.
Muzz Buzz said it was “shocked” by accusations of sexualisation of children however conceded it could understand how the actions of the adult in the ad could be perceived as “uncaring or vilifying and a violation of the boy’s rights.”
The beverage company formally apologised for the mistakes and pulled the ad from broadcast and online prior to the ad watchdog’s final determination.
Upon review, the ad board said while the advertisement did not vilify or discriminate a person or community based on age, it could be considered “abusive” and the adult’s actions could be perceived as “assault”.
The man’s phrase “delicious sticky boy” was also considered, with the ASB deciding there was strong sexual content in the phrase and his actions.
The ad watchdog also agreed Muzz Buzz depicted bullying, which was in breach of the ASB’s standards on health and safety.
Editor’s note: A video of the Muzz Buzz ad, which originally featured in this post, was removed on January 11 due to copyright.
just a really rubbish skittles rip off right?
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The people who dream up the rationale and metaphors for these complaints are actually the sick ones.
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I’d really like to know how many ad complaints are actually genuine – if you took away malicious competitor brands, Christian lobby groups and the unemployed would there actually be any complaints?
Either that or there are a lot of people out there with abstract minds…
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Maybe we should boycott Muzz Buzz because of this absolute moronic stupidity. ‘Stupid Is Forever’. Muzz Buzz you should also can your advertising agency real quick!
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Money was exchanged to make that inappropriate unfunny nonsensically luring creep-fest. Seriously this is not forward advertising.
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Gratuitous is fine. I just think its nasty.
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Surprised child employment approved.
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Wise words
That is exactly who the complaints were from
The FUN Police
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Isnt that the truth…………As a survivor of Abuse, I do not see anything wrong with the ad and certainly not abuse towards the boy or paedophilia and I have to serious wonder about the people who saw Paedophilia, they are the sick people, not MB. It was a bit of slap stick comedy and that IS ALL. Sadly we live in a world where the pendulum has swung too far the other way, and to have any kind of fun is considered abusive to someone!!!!!
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The ad was funny and FUN, nothing more.
Do you know people even complained about the child eating the Brownes yogurt, that was a brilliant ad but still people called it abuse and exploration. It won International awards, it was a brilliant ad. We just arent allowed to have fun these days
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I LOVE the Muzz Buzz Ad, good to see someone still knows how to have a laugh. Well Done.
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Sadly, this wreaks of creatives exploiting clients just to get ‘different’ work in their folio or to get notoriety. Getting a client’s work banned and shared for graphic and shocking content is so ‘old hat’ and not the way to get a brand to grow effectively. ‘Viral’ doesn’t mean it does you good as a given. There needs to be more independent voices in our industry who stand up for clients to avoid this kind of exploitation.
If you are going to do ‘disruptive’ then at least do it well.
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Sticky, how could many of the ad complaints come from the Christian Lobby Group?
Alan, Ray, Janet, Andrew, Piers, Miranda, Brian, Greg and Steve reassure me every day of the week through the media that it is only the chardonnay swilling, latte sipping, bleeding heart, greenie, NIMBY, politically correct lefties that are destroying Australia that make such complaints.
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It’s just super-creepy isn’t it? More importantly, it just isn’t funny. I just don’t know this idea got all the way to production – every creative session has dumb ideas that make you laugh uncomfortably, and then you go ‘nah, doesn’t work’ and some even get a little further, but someone, somewhere had to be the adult here.
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That people think this is OK or acceptable or funny speaks volumes for why the Advertising Industry has sunk so low.
However I think it should stay on air – be worth millions to their competitors.
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I can have a laugh at what is actually funny. All of these ads are just stupid
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Right on.
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There is little doubt that the ad is poorly written and poorly directed, even bordering on mindless, but anyone who thought that the message was paedophilia, has a genuine need for self analysis.
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Unemployed? Where do they fit into the equation?
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