Dwarf, fat guy and chainsaw ad banned for fattism
An ad for an insurance website featuring a fat man, a dwarf and a chainsaw has been banned for demeaning fat people.
A scene in an ad for Compare Travel Insurance – when a masseuse shows disgust while massaging an obese man – discriminated against fat people, the Ad Standards Bureau has ruled.
However, the ad was found not to demean dwalves – because the dwalf is shown in a positive light.
The ad, created by Blow Communications, won Mumbrella’s Ad of the Month for December.
FFS
I’m not usually in favour of banning ads but this one was pretty rank, and the humour was solely ‘ha ha fat people are disgusting’. It’s not quirky, it’s just bad.
“Vilifying” fat knackers is the least of the worries of this ad.
what a load of shite. honestly, people need to get a grip on what media does and doesn’t have a negative impact on society. idiots
The advertisement is repulsive. Banning the creators, and the product is manifestly insufficient – they should be tied to chairs and forced to watch it until they agree to never ever do anything quite so appalling, so grindingly horrible ever again. There may of course be a clue to their character in the name of the agency, though in this case I think Suck might be a better
The world has gone mad.
Ironically, the ad speaks of deeper truths…
Fat people are of greater risk of so many things… diabetes, heart disease… being offended…
Why does it matter if the ad is banned?
If an advertisement is only intended to be run for a couple of months – then it can be shown in December & January .. and is already off the air for weeks by the time it is ‘banned’ in mid-February.
So why does it matter if it is ‘banned’? The only life it would have by now is on the internet .. where it is still available.
In fact – the very fact it is ‘banned’ means some more air-time for the ad … as it will appear on the SMH & news sites – with a link to let people watch it on youtube.
Thus it appears the best strategy is to make an ad that is offensive and then complain yourself to give it some extra viewers.
Mac
Dwalf? Spellcheck Dr Mumbo!
Sorry, auto-spell check corrected ‘dwalves’ .
Can’t argue with that.
Too much for the fat people hey…STOP EATING! & watching TV so much, get off yo arse and do some stuff.
Actually there should be more discrimination against fat people, not less. It might convince fat people to turn over a new leaf, be healthier and not be a burden on the health system. Written by a former member of Bellybuilders who now swims and works out seven days a week.
We have a go at vilifying fat people, which I agree is not good for an ad compaign but as a society are fine with impossibly-attractive and scantily clad people to represent an idea. Is that not the same thing really. It is omittance of something we don’t want to view and deem unattractive.
What were they thinking?
Fat people need to stop watching so much TV and go for a walk. Good on Compare – I think the ad is awesome.