Watchdog bans Red Bull TV ad for ‘sexualising children’
An animated TV ad for Red Bull featuring a young boy who convinces his mother to let him go to a strip club has been banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau because it “normalises sexualising children”.
The ad shows a boy feeding Red Bull to his pigs. He then asks his mother if he can visit a strip club, to which she responds, “when pigs fly”. When she looks out the window she sees pigs flying – a reference to the brand’s long running tagline “Red Bull gives you wings”.
The final scene of the ad shows the boy at a strip club sitting infront of the stage looking up at a stripper. She removes a boa she is wearing and throws it to him.
Despite the ad being aired after 8:30pm, the ASB said that depicting a child in a strip club was “inappropriate, even if viewed only by adults, as it normalises sexualising children”.
The ASB also found that although the mother allowing her child to go to the strip club was intended to be amusing, “it normalised inappropriate and illegal behaviour”.
While Red Bull agreed to pull the ad, the company said it was “disappointed” by the ASB’s findings.
In a statement Red Bull said:
The Red Bull Energy Drink television advertisements demonstrate the energising effects of Red Bull on body and mind in a spirited, fresh and cheeky way via cartoons portraying witty stories that are targeted towards an adult audience. The stories are imaginary and are not intended to be taken literally or too seriously.
We are disappointed that the Advertising Standards Bureau does not see the copy in this light.
Whilst we acknowledge that some members of the public may be offended by the humour portrayed in this TVC, it is Red Bull Australia’s opinion that as the Flying Pigs TVC was placed during adult programming only, the TVC was not insensitive towards the majority of the intended adult audience and we are therefore disappointed with the Board’s findings.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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And yet the Red Bull nudist colony spot is okay?
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This ad is ridiculous
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Obvioulsy no-one involved has children of their own. What is most disturbing however is that those involved believe this could be an effective ad. Even seeing it in the intended context , the ad is spectacularly unfunny and lacking imagination. Is it possible this ad is a re-run originally intended for Europe. I suspect Germans may find this kind of thing funny.
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Put aside whether you like the ad or not.
Add this banning to the “let’s censor the internet” debate, and it’s clear we’re in a very Puritanical cultural phase. Can’t wait for it to end.
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This spot is just plain weird.
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Isn’t it just an animated pisstake? I didn’t think it was hilarious, but mildly amusing.
To quote another Red Bull property, Mark Webber – “we live in a nanny state”
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just unbelievably not funny….. written by a very old german no doubt
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I’m with @Eccles9, the nudist colony ad is just as bad, if not worse. If the dude’s erection isn’t bad enough, what about the kid who runs through the scene? It disturbs me a little.
Off on a tangent slightly, I often wonder what committed nudists/naturists make of that ad? They must struggle already to ‘de-sexualise’ their pursuits in the eyes of the ‘public’.
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I also believe it’s mildly amusing, but the end scene is not needed.
If the end scene was cut, I believe the ad would be less “offensive”.
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It doesn’t appear to be any more inappropriate than the episode of the Simpsons where Bart does odd jobs in a brothel …. and that runs (ad nauseum) in a very child friendly time slot.
It appears to be no more than a clever continuation of the advertising theme that helps position the brand. On brief, I should imagine.
PS: Can anyone help me understand how it is the child being sexualised in this instance – clearly it’s the stripper who’s getting her gear off, not the average, red blooded pubescent teen.
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Pigs don’t fly.
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@ A Loaded Gun
The Simpsons comes with an appropriate classification and warning. I agree that the ad is a continuation of their advertising theme but don’t see how its clever.
The flying pigs is a clever concept, the strip club is very poor execution.
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Ok ! I’ll go to the strip club instead of the kid.
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The biggest mistake in Red Bull Aus’ statement was their reference to the spot as “witty”.
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Geeza – It’s not ok to “normalise sexualising children” but there’s nothing wrong with suggesting “germans may find this kind of thing funny”?
ALL politically incorrect jokes / commercials / movies / whatever, by there very nature, offend at least one group of people but are hilarious to any number of other groups.
And good on you, Richard, too. let’s blame Ze Germans…
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@loaded gun. Guessing by the VO talent I would say the child depicted is around 8-10 yrs old and definately not a “red blooded teenager”.
I think this is the problem, ne c’est pas?
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Isn’t the whole point of this entire series of ads to get a reaction via inappropriate and illegal behaviour?
If I remember, there is one based around a couple of mafia goomba’s dropping a dude in cement shoes off a wharf, only for him to fly away on Red Bull wings.
Yet the Advertising Standards Bureau singles this one out. Kids + strippers = bad, gangland executions = ok?
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@Jooja, it is a well established convention that racism does not apply to Germans, frogs and poms – oh and Argies and Ities when it comes to football. Do I need to go on?
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This is funny because it’s so bad. All the red bull ads are bad. How could they possibly think this would be an effective advertisment?
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What are most kids asking for these days that they shouldn’t have? Should have shown him asking for an iPhone or a drive of grandpas car.
I’m with The Original “Amused” … flying pigs is a good concept that could be used in a whole string…this one isn’t quite right though.
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Yet it’s ok to run a prime time TVC showing a character sporting a boner at a nude beach?
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it disturbs me that people think this should be removed….Mark Webber is right…we are becoming a nanny state.Have people really lost their sense of humor so much now.I remember Siimon Reynolds once saying that we will return to Victoria values, I thought nonsense at the time, but he seems to be right…again !
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Isnt it time that Red Bull consider refreshing their TV ads?
For a product that promotes energising the mind, the ads over the years have become tiresome with the same approach/concept and now they are obviously resorting to shock value (be it cheeky/tongue and cheek). Their TV ads may be effective in what they are trying to do, but still, a new approach would be refreshing.
In other words, I’m bored with these ads and I wonder if the agency that creates them are too…
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is too… oops
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I love Red Bull BUT hate the ads.
What a strange relationship…
I agree the ads are tired and have never really been witty. In fact I have never heard over the zillion years these illustrated ads have run someone say they appreciate them. The efforts to breath life into something dead by taking this risk is just ridiculous – clearly it wasn’t made for this market. Not surprising for a brand that has laced their product with Cocaine in the past and shipped it to countries where the penalty for dealing in narcotics is death…
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I reckon they thought it was his mum in the end shot…
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not funny, not well thought out, not unique in the slightest, this would go right under the radar if it didnt have something offensive. So bored.
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@Gezza, I’m sure it’s “n’est-ce pas”, isn’t it?
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I find it odd that all these hard nuts that drink Red Bull, also wear fairy wings, like little girls.
Red Bull gives you wings. But you look like a little fairy mate!
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@love+hate – I’m with you. Red Bull have so many outstanding properties from the sport and extreme world that would encapsulate the company’s ethos in a 30 second spot, yet they continue with this obscure animated creative.
Imagine the cut through – from an Australian perspective – if they used the sporting properties that I can think of instantly from the top of my head:
-Mark Webber (RBR F1)
-Robbie Maddison (Extreme Motocross/stunt man)
-Rick Kelly (V8 Supercars)
-Matt Hall (Red Bull Air Race)
That’s not to mention what they could do internationally (plus the other Aussies that I have missed out here).
@Zac Martin – nice cross promo
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Soooo…. if the kid’s old man had been doing the washing up and they had gone to the strip club together the advert would have been OK?
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Apparently red bull doesn’t give you wings!!!
http://www.dailytelegraph.com......5854148345
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More Australian public servants interfering with freedom of speech, wake up Australia, you’re being conned, but I must say, it is easy to con you people….. why do you need bureaucrats to tell you what you can and can’t watch…..
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NY Nemisis. – “You People”
NY- What is that – New York?
Are you in the US? Sorry for my wild stab, but if you are then you are delusional… take a look at your own back yard.
If not, my apologies – let us know where you are from…
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@NY – ‘why do you need bureaucrats to tell you what you can and can’t watch’?
Because if you don’t, you end up with crap like what Red Bull have dished up!
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