New Decisions: School bullying scene, scary posters and more

The following decisions have been published:

• Complaint 19/038 Living Green, Television, Magazine, Website, Upheld in part, Not Upheld in part
• Complaint 19/161 Tomorrows World, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/178 Kai Point Coal, Print, Upheld
• Complaint 19/221 Mars, Wrigley’s, Television, Upheld
• Complaint 19/228 Earth Energies, Digital Marketing, Settled
• Complaint 19/230 Roadshow NZ, Childs Play, Poster, Upheld
• Complaint 19/239 Brand Developers, Fish Harvester, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/240 Medico Herbs, Digital Marketing, Settled
• Complaint 19/249 Forest and Bird, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/250 AWAP 19/001 Laser Clinic New Zealand Limited, Digital Marketing, Settled
• Complaint 19/252 1 Cover, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/254 NZME, Flava, Radio, Settled
• Complaint 19/255 Kiwibank, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/257 Momentum Life, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/261 New Zealand National Party, Digital Marketing, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/265 Mediaworks, Rova, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/266 NZ Police, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/270 Volvo Cars, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/271 KFC, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/272 Vodafone NZ, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/277 Ssangyong, Television, Settled
• Complaint 19/278 H & J Smith, Print, Settled
• Complaint 19/282 S Brooks, Print, Settled Media Error
• Complaint 19/287 Compass Life, Radio, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/290 Colgate Palmolive, Television, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/297 Electric Kiwi, Digital Marketing, No Grounds to Proceed
• Complaint 19/299 Ford Motors, Television, No Grounds to Proceed

School Bullying Scene Not Socially Responsible

The television advertisement for Wrigleys EXTRA peppermint chewing gum showed a school student with glasses being pushed up against the wall by another student and asked for his lunch money.  The student with glasses takes out a packet of EXTRA and chews a piece.  He compliments a female student on her hair and tells the bully she has had highlights.  The advertisement ends with the tagline “Time to Shine.”

The Complainant was concerned the advertisement is depicting bullying which is a serious issue in New Zealand.

The Advertiser said the intended message was having fresh breath promotes confidence.  They stated the advertisement is shot in a theatrical/comical way and the hero of the story is the confident boy who does not appear intimidated by the boy asking for money. They said the advertisement did not play during children’s programmes.

The majority of the Complaints Board said that the advertisement showed bullying behaviour and was not socially responsible.  A minority of the Complaints Board disagreed and said the student being asked for money maintained his confidence throughout the encounter and the scenario in the advertisement was more likely to be seen as a parody of bullying. In accordance with the majority, the Complaints Board ruled the complaint was Upheld.

Poster Imagery May Have Caused Distress

The poster advertisement by Roadshow NZ for the horror movie “Child’s Play” showed a picture of a doll with one red eye. The doll is holding a knife and the blade of the knife is glistening. The text says: “Time to Play”.  The posters were large and displayed in a range of public locations, including a shopping area.

The Complainant was concerned the advertisement was disturbing to children.

The Advertiser said they attempted to minimise the visibility of the knife by the placing of large amounts of text. They also tried to avoid “kid specific” areas for the posters, such as schools and childcare centres.  The Advertiser said the posters were removed on 23 June 2019.

The Complaints Board agreed that the content and placement of the advertisement was not socially responsible because it would cause fear or distress, without justification. Accordingly, the Complaints Board ruled the complaint was Upheld in part.