Numerous complaints to the ad watchdog about sexism, sexualisation and the promotion of convicted rapist Mike Tyson in Ultra Tune’s latest ad have been dismissed.
In a detailed response to the complaints, the brand said: “The advertisements do not promote nor endorse any sexual harassment, or assault. He [Tyson] has been punished for his crime committed over 25 years ago in accordance with the law.”
A majority of the complaints featured in the Advertising Standards Board’s ruling focussed on the inclusion of Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992.
In response, Ultra Tune said it takes its responsibilities – including the AANA Code of Ethics – very seriously and noted the brand “agrees sexual harassment, assault and rape has no place in our society”.
“However, we note that Mr Tyson served his punishment, publicly acknowledged his deep regret and remorse for that period in his life, and has re-joined society. Since that time, he has rebuilt his career as a celebrity personality.”
It also noted: “Our use of Mr Tyson does not promote his convictions nor condone sexual harassment in any way.”
The advertiser went on to detail its view that the ad could not be found to vilify, humiliate or ridicule women because “the advertisements are clearly designed to be hyper-realisatic and comedic”, noting “a road incident can happen to any person, regardless of gender.”
Ultra Tune also refuted the claim the ad exploits or degrades women, arguing: “At all times the female actors are fully clothed in fancy dress clothing. The fancy dress clothing was used to reinforce the comedic aspect of the advertisement. Their clothing is clearly not the focus of the advertisement.”
The Board also didn’t take issue with the women’s attire, saying it is consistent with Hen’s parties or costume parties. It said the women’s appearance was “sexy, [but] their behaviour is not sexualised”.
It also again noted the “hyper-real” nature of the advertisements, which in its view, ensured the community would not take safety pointers from the women’s actions: “The Board considered that the fantasy nature of the advertisement, the likelihood of a tiger appearing in the street, and the fact the vehicle was shown to crash all amounted to an overall impression that would be unlikely to suggest or condone swerving to avoid an animal on the road.”
The Board thus dismissed all the complaints against Ultra Tune’s ad.
Watch the full Mike Tyson ad here:
Read more on the story here:Â https://mumbrella.com.au/ad-watchdog-dismisses-numerous-complaints-mike-tyson-ultra-tune-ad-499026
