Communications Minister brands Sportsbet Ben Johnson ads ‘dumb’
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has branded a campaign for Sportsbet starring disgraced Olympic drug cheat Ben Johnson “dumb”.
Speaking after appearing at the ACMA Australian Content Conversation conference in Sydney, Fifield said ACMA had already fielded complaints about the ad and was not investigating.
The ad, which launched over the weekend, has already prompted more than 50 complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau.
“Look, I think it was a dumb ad, it was ill-advised,” Fifield told Mumbrella.
I’m sure these Government talking heads have had a chuckle at the ad behind closed doors, but need to maintain a visage of outrage so they can satisfy their 3AW/2UE caller constituents.
We live in a time where manufactured outrage and offence is a powerful commodity, it cuts through and gets heard and is often an easy way for people to get a few words on a publication so they can push an agenda or flog their book.
I despise anything to do with gambling, particularly sports gambling.
That said, I had a fucking good laugh at this. Best thing to come out of the local ad industry in a very, very long time.
Agree & Agree
I agree too. I despise gambling but putting the roid in Android is gold.
The Ministers seem to be hovering in a moral vacuum over the great unwashed. It’s what’s dumb.
Look at the public sentiment. People love it.
When will the toothless tiger industry representative bodies standup to this nanny state absurdity?
On what grounds should this ad be banned?
Bad taste? What a joke
Spot on… the moral outrage brigade of 50 people can sod off. Social media can be blamed for uniting these sensitive fools under a collective voice
In reality, its the smartest and probably most effective ad we have seen in Aus media in a long time.
If you don’t like it, don’t punt with Sportsbet…. well actually, you are probably a wowser that doesn’t punt at all, so they couldn’t care less if you’re offended.
The flogging of Bon Jovi by one of the other mobs is more offensive.
?
Very clever ad guys. Well done.
Mitch Fifield calling the ad “dumb” has as much weight as Pauline Hanson stating she has a plan to run the economy…
… not much.
So could those who don’t have a problem with the underlying message -ie it’s ok for a cheat to not be ashamed of cheating, would it similarly be ok for Ivan Milat to come out with an ad for the Australian tourism commission? Martin Bryant doing travel ads for Port Arthur?
Don’t like it?…. simple, don’t bet with them
Wow, nice strawman argument Melissa. A guy cheating at an athletics meet almost 30 years ago is totally the equivalent of murdering 37 people with a semi-automatic rifle.
I bet you reference Hitler a lot when you argue with people don’t you?
The number of gambling ads on tv is now a joke….a dangerous joke.
Not just the frequency, which gets yr mind wanting to do it without thought, but also the fact that most of the ads are telling men to “hide” their gambling on their phone from women and famiky members. If you watch the ads they are highly masculine and saying its ok to hide away. One is on a worksite where a woman asks why the roof isnt on the house yet…..all of the male workmen come up with excuses while they are gambling on their phones….she walks away in disgust.
Another ad is where a husband and father leaves the dinner table with a fake phone call to happily go away in another room to gamble on his phone.
Im disgusted that nobody has stopped this.
What is going on???