AHM ad harking back to cricketer Andrew Symonds decking a streaker banned by watchdog for depicting an act of violence
Industry watchdog Ad Standards has banned an ad for AHM health insurance which features former Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds taking out a production assistant on set.
The ad harks back to Symonds’ famous decking of an on-field streaker during a 2008 one day international match against India.
The ad depicts Symonds reenacting the shoulder charge action against a production assistant trying to repair the set where the cricketer is explaining AHM’s new package. Complaints lodged to the Ad Standard’s community panel said that the ad depicts an act of assault in the workplace, and glorifies unprovoked violence and acts of bullying.
Who is the agency here? I’m sure they are around usually to seagull up any credit when it goes well. And why isn’t Mumbrella holding them to account for their part in a pretty poor lapse of judgment with repetitional consequence for their client?
As for the substance, in my view it’s unpleasant and smells of blokes sniggering about what they can get away with.
Bad form.
Clemenger BBDO
What a brilliant ad. The community panel must be made up of 60 YO bored and tasteless retirees.
The overlooked problem with this ad is that osteo would be a much better proposed solution that chiro. The victim likely sustained damage to multiple parts of his body, not just his spine.
Best comment on Mumbrella
Again some harmless fun and clever use of talent wrecked by the haters. Pathetic.
A brilliant ad for those advocating a sense of fun in advertising.
Of course the nameless few had to ruin it for the rest of us.
Unlike the KFC ad, this should have been banned. A +1 re the question above re the agency.
Never mind the fact that sending the production assistant to a chiropractor would make the injury multiple times worse.
We had nothing to do with this work
This is good story to do – an interesting example of advertising bumping into the edge of social acceptability. But why can’t or won’t you tell us who the agency is? Surely it’s a key part of the story?
Clumsy ad.
Still waiting for the agency to be named.