An ‘inappropriate’ Telstra ad featuring a snowman, a ‘sturdy’ carrot and two kangaroos has been cleared by the advertising watchdog.
A complaint has been lodged with Ad Standards over the advertisement promoting Telstra’s mobile coverage at the Mt Buller ski resort in eastern Victoria.
The controversial ad featured two animated kangaroos building a snowman.
While the older kangaroo talked about the benefits of Telstra, the young kangaroo placed a carrot in the snowman’s genital area.
The older kangaroo noticed this and moved the root to the correct nose position.
The complaint to Ad Standards alleged the Telstra advert contained ‘inappropriate content and placement that insinuated a penis as a carrot’.
According to the complaint, the advertisement breached Section 2.4 – Sex, Sexuality and Nudity of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics.
The ad had been given a ‘G’ rating by the ClearAds service, which provides a compliance rating, and could air at any time of the day.
The complaint to advertising watchdog Ad Standards alleged the Telstra advert contained ‘inappropriate content and placement that insinuated a penis as a carrot’
In the ad, the older kangaroo noticed that the carrot was in the wrong position and moved it to the correct nose position
Telstra denied the advert breached community standards or guidelines.
In its response to Ad Standards, Telstra stated: ‘There is nothing to indicate the ability to experience and express sexual desire.’
‘There is no suggestion that the snowman is conscious or that the root is placed in a sexual region to indicate a response to some sexual external stimulus.’
‘Furthermore, it would be unreasonable to conclude that the use of a carrot is indicative of an erect penis and to suggest sexual desire.
Telstra denied the advert breached community standards and guidelines. ‘There is nothing to indicate the ability to experience and express sexual desires.’
‘A carrot is naturally firm and generally has a straight, cylindrical shape.’
‘It is also often used as a nose for a snowman, as the ad ultimately shows.’
Regarding the alleged nudity violation, Telstra stated: ‘The advertisement does not feature any people or living beings, and neither snowmen nor kangaroos ‘usually wear clothing’ such that any of their appearances are ‘naked’.
Watchdog Ad Standards agreed and dismissed the complaint.
A spokesperson for Ad Standards told Daily Mail Australia: ‘The Ad Standards Community Panel has determined that the advertisement does not breach AANA’s Code of Ethics.’
‘While the panel acknowledged the mild sexual innuendo associated with the placement of the carrot, they considered the ad to be light-hearted, humorous and not inappropriate for the relevant general audience.
A Telstra spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: “We’re glad it was seen for what it was – a bit of fun.”
In one Reddit post about the Telstra ad, commentators accused the complainant of overreacting.
“Looks more like a person who is bored all day and complains professionally,” one person wrote.
“Those who actually whine about this innocuous stuff and even formally complain are just sad, overbearing parents who need resources to be grumpy,” wrote another.