I got an email from bandt.com.au today with an very interesting article about an ad by Nova 969 which has been pulled off the air due to complaints. The full story is below.

Nova has pulled its new TVC promoting Merrick, Dools & Ricki-Lee’s “For Love & Money” campaign, following a number of complaints that the ad was promoting animal cruelty.

The TV ad in question, which formed part of the second phase of the breakfast trio’s campaign, features a teddy bear being destroyed in a blender in line with the promotion’s theme of “sacrifice”. The Bye Bye Teddy execution was running alongside another TVC, No Pants, which will continue to run. Both ads were created by Happy Soldiers.

The radio station received numerous complaints for Bye Bye Teddy overnight and formal complaints were also lodged with the Advertising Standards Bureau.

In a statement, Nova said: “Nova 969 is currently running the second phase of its “Love & Money” campaign and two TVCs were launched yesterday to promote it. A toy teddy bear is featured in one of the TVCs. It is not an animal, it is a stuffed toy, and it was never our intention for it to be perceived otherwise. We value the views and opinions of our listeners and based on some complaints received, Nova 969 has pulled the ad off-air. Nova 969 is a huge supporter of the prevention of cruelty to animals
and would in no way want to reference the mistreatment of animals, and this was never the intention of the ad”.

To view the “Bye Bye Teddy Bear” TVC click play:

To view the “No Pants” TVC click play:

My question to you; Is the population as a whole becoming too sensitive, for me I can’t even fathome why people would take this as animal cruelty, I see the creativity in the ad and think its great. What are your thoughts?

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