Complaints claiming Tooheys Extra Dry ‘mouth abuse’ ad is sexist dismissed by ad watchdog
The Advertising Standards Board has dismissed complaints against the Tooheys Extra Dry ‘mouth abuse ad’ which claimed the ad was sexist.
Created by BMF, who also created the infamous ‘Tongue’ ad, the “mouth abuse” spot is built on the idea that “being a mouth can be a ‘thankless job’” and tells consumers it is time people repaid their mouths for the “years of mouth abuse endured”, suggesting that one way to repay them is with “the clean crisp taste of Tooheys Extra Dry”.
A complaint to the ad watchdog said: “This ad is horrendously sexist, I’d think even a lot of men would be offended by the suggestion that this advertising campaign would appeal to them, even my boyfriend finds it disgusting.”
Score one for common sense, because it’s just an advert, not a ‘life lesson’ or a tutorial.
Might not be sexist but it’s still a crap concept and so was the mouth. Does absolutely nothing to make the beer appealing or appetising in any way.
I might be drawing a long bow here but isn’t it more than coincidental that the dramatic drop in beer sales for Tooheys and other brands happened as soon as the notorious “tongue” and “mouth” ad campaigns were launched?
Forget sexist. This is simply a DOG of a commercial. It’s confusing, gross, and worst of all, it’s PIG UGLY.
And yes, Aussie_Austridge, there’s a good chance that the ad (along with the notorious tongue ad) would be actively driving down sales. The same thing happened in the 80s when terrible ads for beer turned off drinkers.
How hard can making a good ad for beer be? Have the lads in the creative department forgotten what the deal is: you give the punters a relevant bit of amusement, link it with the product/brand, and then sign off with a bit of smart-arse fun. Dóh!
the worst punishment for Toohey’s would be to force them to run that ad more often.
shocking stuff
I find the idea of detached mouths and tongues more gross than sexist. How can you sell anything let alone beer with such a tacky idea as that?