The 4th of June will be National Cheese Day, so of course we need to celebrate. Part of me wants to include no puns in this article – because that’s what we’re all expecting, aren’t we?! And I don’t like to pander to the masses.
If I do it Caerphilly, maybe I can make it to the end without making one pun. E, damn. I may as well brie consistent, now.
Bemused triangle
Our first ruling concerns a VOD (video on demand) ad for Dairylea. The ad, which showed a child hanging upside down from a goalpost whilst eating a Dairylea triangle, was investigated to see whether it encouraged or condoned unsafe behaviour that could be dangerous for a child to emulate. The ASA sought a view from the CAPT (Child Accident Prevention Trust) who explained that the scene depicted a choking hazard. With that in mind, the ASA upheld the complaints, ultimately considering the ad condoned an unsafe practice with a high chance of choking.
You can read more about children and safety here to help avoid ill-feta’d decisions.
I hate Mondays
Our second case study is a VOD ad for Cheestrings (09 October 2024) which featured a promotion that included the character of Garfield. Garfield was seen looking at pizza and saying the words “bury me in cheese” – a sentiment many of us feel time to time, especially on this most frabjous of days.
The complaint in this instance was that the ad included a promotional offer and a licenced character popular with children, which they understood was prohibited for products that are HFSS (high in fat, salt or sugar). The ASA firstly determined whether the product fell into the category of HFSS, which it did. Next, they considered whether the ad was targeted at pre-school or primary school children through its content. They found that the ad included cartoon cats, dogs and giant Cheestrings, and generally would have been quite appealing to children. Whilst the prize itself, a trip to California, was likely to appeal to adults too, the ad’s content was enough for the ASA to say that the ad targeted children through content.
On whether the character of Garfield appealed to children, though he was originally a character from the 70s, the new Garfield film (with a U rating) was being released around the time of the ad, meaning that he was likely to be recognised and be popular with children. As such, the ASA also upheld on this point.
HFSS can be a complex area so advertisers in the sector are advised to brush up on this, as well as the newer LHF (Less Healthy Food) rules. Will the advertisers churn their lesson?
Papa parmesan
Now we’re paneer the end of the article, we’ve got something slightly different. In 2019, the ASA investigated a TV and VOD ad for Philadelphia cheese. The ad featured two new dads with their babies in a restaurant with a conveyor belt serving buffet food – the men, distracted by the food, accidentally place their children on the belt. The ad ends with one of the men saying, “Let’s not tell mum!”.
The ASA acknowledged that the ad was intended to be humorous and light-hearted, but the men were portrayed as hapless and inattentive, which did not allow them to care for their children effectively. All in all, the ASA considered that the ad portrayed a harmful stereotype in indicating that men cannot care for children as well as women. Hopefully now, they should know their Phili from their stallions, and won’t make a mare of their future ads.
So that’s three for three. I think we can all agree the puns didn’t go too far – I camembert the thought of someone thinking we’ve overdone it. If you’re planning any dairy based campaigns in future, feel free to contact our Copy Advice team – a good whey to stay compliant.
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