Australia is known for their spectacular wine, and they're probably going to be known for something else: offensive alcohol ads.
We've seen many commercials challenge its own boundaries, but this recent wine advertisement from Australia - which was slated for release in UK television screens - had probably too much "sexual innuendo" that it eventually saw itself banned.
Perhaps they had too much wine while thinking of the commercial concept? Who knows!
The ad from Premier Estates Wine shows a woman who, of course, loves wine. Although it doesn't seem too offensive, things take a turn and instantly become sexist. Munchies reports:
"The ad in question features an Aussie woman in a white dress holding a glass of red wine. While proclaiming her love for reasonably priced wines, the woman tells viewers that she 'goes for Premier Estates Wine every time,' and begins to enumerate the reasons why. 'Take this exquisite Aussie shiraz, a mere £5.99 a bottle,' she says before taking a sip, and describing the wine's bouquet in a breathy voice: 'Luscious, earthy, bursting with fruit and spice.'
"The nameless Australian woman then places the wine glass down on a suspiciously low table in front of her, and the remaining wine creates a v-shaped outline directly over he crotch area - you get the idea.
"But it doesn't end there. For those still unable to pick up on the sexual undertones of the ad, the woman adds one final note. 'Australia practically jumps out of the glass - in fact, some say you can almost taste the bush,' she declares before scurrying away from the table, visibly embarrassed by her own words."
There's no doubt that this was a risky move for Premier Estates Wine. In fact, it received so many complaints for UK consumers it intended to target as its audience.
Not only that, but even Wine Australia - the "statutory body" in Australia that manages promotion and sale of Australian wine abroad - had some objections regarding the ad.
Even the UK's administration for advertisements - the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - found that the ad clearly violated its own guidelines. The ASA ruling reads:
"The ASA considered that most viewers would understand the claim 'some say you can almost taste the bush' to be a reference to oral sex, particularly given that it was accompanied with the image of the wine glass positioned directly in front of the woman's crotch. [...] We considered that the ad presented the woman in a degrading manner, and concluded that it was likely to cause serious or widespread offence."
The ASA therefore banned the ad from hitting the airwaves, deeming it as proper punishment for the offensive commercial.
