Billboard owner tells ASB: ‘If you have nothing better to do with your time then God help us’
The owner of a billboard site has told the ad watchdog “if you have nothing better to do with your time then God help us” after it ruled against an ad t featuring an image of man in a raincoat allegedly flashing was not rude and
The Ad Standards Board upheld complaints against the billboard promoting Boettcher Realty – Rentals which is located in Ipswich, Queensland arguing “the depiction of a man exposing himself is an image that suggests behaviour that is contrary to prevailing community standards on health and safety”.
The billboard featured an image of a man from behind and wearing a raincoat which is held open. It was accompanied with the text “The perfect address for exposure. Phone Darren anytime for inspection”.
Complainants to the ASB described it as “an affront to common decency”, adding: “Indecent exposure is illegal and should be in no way promoted as “normal” or “desirable”. There are many victims of sexual abuse in our society and I can’t help but think such a sign would be abhorrent to them and bring back unpleasant memories and I certainly don’t want to convey the message to anyone – let alone impressionable young boys who might think it would be “fun” to do this and get wrong ideas about what is socially acceptable or that this behaviour is condoned in our community.”
Good grief. We’re becoming a country so ridiculously constipated by petty bureaucrats, useless, toothless, self-regulating boards and PC-shrills that getting anything at all done going forward will be a challenge. “the sign had been up for more than a year” before a complaint summarizes this well. Instead of focusing on targets softer than a camp-fire marshmallow, the ASB needs to go after scams such as the so-called Therapeutic Goods Industry. Their (in many cases) non-scientific blithering ads pumped out by Suisse, Blackmores etc are a con at best, and in some cases damaging to health where people go on to buy their products. Coles was until recently was marketing fresh, store-baked Australian bread which in fact was par-baked, frozen and exported from Ireland. Where was the ASB in proactively prosecuting this? (It was a win for the ACCC). The ASB needs to – as Chopper Reid used to say – Harden the **** Up – or dissolve itself and admit to being irrelevant, with responsibility taken up in full by the ACCC
The ultimate, compelling justification:
The owner of the billboard defended the ad, arguing there are worse signs on camper vans.
And another reason to rid the streets of the Wicked vans. Here is proof positive they are setting a standard to which others aspire. Yuk!