ASAI- Alway the Same, Always Ineffective?

You Don’t Have to Be Sexist…but you do have to have a lack of imagination. Part 2

It seems that the lack of imagination continues to haunt the Irish advertising industry. I’d heard the Hunky Dory ads were back, something confirmed when the guffawing on the radio, the ‘I don’t know what your problem is’ and of course, the obligatory ‘You just don’t have a sense of humour’ comments were rolling on the airwaves. People have forgotten that there are thousands of women in sport who are “demeaned and diminished all the time, in terms of funding, in terms of coverage, in terms of attitude”, Tom Humphries, The Irish Times (May 2010). This kind of campaign ‘shows’ that women playing sport only do so for the leering lads on the side-lines. It is so far from the reality this whole thing is ridiculous.

This is what we’re talking about, the attitude to women. We have the same products, same objectification of women for the sake of selling a few more packets of crisps. Where is the ASAI in this? Last year the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) (or should that be Always the Same, Always Ineffective?) received more that 300 complaints. The campaign ran its course and those who objected might even have helped sell even more crisps!

Welcome to Ground Hog Day Hunky Dory style. The ASAI doesn’t have the capability to prevent our social spaces, the advertising hoardings, the bus stops, print media and so on, from being saturated by these ads.

What is the function of the ASAI? It is the ” independent self-regulatory body set up and financed by the advertising industry.” There is a Code of Practice where there are rules applicable to this and other advertising. It is worth reading these rules for some perspective on these ads.

2.15

A marketing communication should contain nothing that is likely to cause grave or widespread offence.

2.16

Marketing communications should respect the dignity of all persons and should avoid causing offence on grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the traveller community.

2.17

Marketing communications should respect the principle of the equality of men and women. They should avoid sex stereotyping and any exploitation or demeaning of men and women. Where appropriate, marketing communications should use generic terms that include both the masculine and feminine gender; for example, the term ‘business executive’ covers both men and women.

2.18

To avoid causing offence, marketing communications should be responsive to the diversity in Irish society and marketing communications which portray or refer to people within the groups mentioned in 2.16 should:

(a) respect the principle of equality in any depiction of these groups;

(b) fully respect their dignity and not subject them to ridicule or offensive humour;

(c) avoid stereotyping and negative or hurtful images;

(d) not exploit them for unrelated marketing purposes;

(e) not ridicule or exploit religious beliefs, symbols, rites or practices.

2.19

Advertisers should take account of public sensitivities in the preparation and publication of marketing communications and avoid the exploitation of sexuality and the use of coarseness and undesirable innuendo. They should not use offensive or provocative copy or images merely to attract attention. Marketing communications that may be considered by some to be distasteful, might not necessarily conflict with 2.15 above. Nevertheless, advertisers are urged to consider public sensitivities before using potentially offensive material.

Does this repeat of last year’s advertising campaign adhere to these rules?

From the Business and Leadership site last year:

“Frank Goodman, chief executive of the ASAI, said today that his organisation had written to Largo Foods requesting the withdrawal of the campaign, due to the level of complaints received. He said that the authority had not, however, imposed a ban.

“We asked them to withdraw it and a lot of them have come down,” he said. “We obviously felt at that stage it was sufficiently grave to request that and the code allows us to do that. We don’t do it very often. One of the measures we take in looking at taste and decency or the equality issues is the level of complaints. But it’s only one of the issues.”

Unable to stretch my imagination beyond last year’s post, here it is again. Same story, same issues. It’s Groundhog Day Hunky Dory style…

You Don’t Have to Be Sexist…but you do have to have a lack of imagination.