Food & Beverages

The television advertising campaign was a series of vignettes depicting people fighting over pizza. One advertisement in the campaign featured young men pushing each other as they ran to the front door to the waiting pizza delivery man. Another featured an older woman with a younger man in a headlock on the floor of a sitting room. Around them was evidence of affray and they appeared to be fighting to reach the pizza on the floor. Two other segments featured people in domestic settings also fighting over pizza.

Three complaints were received about the advertisements.

Issue 1:
The complainants all believed that the ads promoted and condoned violence. One complainant believed showing people shoving each other to get to the delivery man first condoned and incited domestic violence. Another complainant said that the advertisement featuring the older woman with a younger man in a headlock promoted harmful stereotypes and trivialized the issue of domestic violence against men.

Issue 2:
One of the complainants believed that the advertisements endorsed the idea that violence was acceptable, and this should not be permitted as children and young people could have seen them.

The advertiser responded that the advertisements were light-hearted and did not depict serious acts of violence such as punching, kicking, biting, or scratching. They also pointed out that they believed one could see much more serious acts of violence on pre-watershed television than those depicted in the advertisements. The advertiser said that the advertisements featured exaggerated scenarios with unexpected characters coming out on top and taking the advertisement as a whole, they asserted that their comedic, exaggerated nature means that they could not realistically be considered as encouraging or condoning dangerous behaviour or unsafe practices.

The advertisers also said that audience research showed that there was a positive reaction to the advertisements and Clearcast were supplied with the storyboards in preproduction and had a presence on set during the filming of the advertisements. The advertisers said that their marketing agency had advised them that the ad was targeted at an audience of 18–34-year-olds. The advertisers claimed they were careful to broadcast the ad with an ‘ex-kids’ restriction’, so it was not broadcast during or adjacent to any children’s programming. They were willing to substantiate this claim with television schedules showing where the advertisement was broadcast if necessary.

The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaints and the advertisers’ response.

Issue 1 – Not Upheld:
The Complaints Committee considered the exaggerated facial expressions and acting, that no real injury or distress was depicted, the use of slow-motion, and over-dramatic operatic music all contributed to an overall comedic tone. Their consideration included the vignette of the older woman with the younger man in a headlock. On this aspect, they concluded that since the advertisement had not explicitly drawn attention to the gender of either party, merely depicted an unexpected scenario in which the older woman came out as victor for humorous effect in line with the general theme of the campaign, it could not be said to have caused offence on the grounds of gender.

When taken as a whole, the Committee did not consider that the advertisements promoted or condoned violence and did not consider that it breached the Code on the grounds suggested in the complaints.

Issue 2 – Not Upheld:
The Complaints Committee noted that the advertisement had been targeted at an adult audience, specifically 18–34-year-olds. In addition, it had been broadcast with an ‘ex-kids’ restriction’, so was not broadcast during or adjacent to any children’s programming. In considering whether the advertisement endorsed a view that violence was acceptable, the Committee considered that action was exaggerated and light-hearted in style and not in breach of the Code on the basis suggested in the complaint.

Action Required:

No further action required.