Subliminally naked advertisement banned on TV

David Heath
Friday, 28 October 2011 12:49

Your IT - Mobility

iiNet's latest 'naked DSL' advertisement featuring a 2-frame insert has been banned by CAD, the free-to-air industry group.

After the recent furore regarding a 2-frame (supposedly) subliminal message inserted into an iiNet television advertisement for their naked DSL service, CAD (the broadcaster-funded arbiter on all things 'moral') has determined that the advert is inappropriate and has banned it.

According to the CAD web pages, All television commercials and infomercials must be classified before they can be broadcast. It is important to note that CAD does not provide legal advice. It is the responsibility of each advertiser and or its advertising agency to ensure that their commercial/s comply with all relevant laws and regulatory requirements.

One wonders if that means the advertisement was approved and later had the approval withdrawn?

In commenting on the banning, iiNet's GM Retail, Matt Dunstan noted "For a bit of fun, we decided to put a two-frame (a tenth of a second) message in our latest Naked DSL TV commercial. It said something like "well done for spotting this'¦. go to this secret URL and you can get a prize for being so smart'¦"

Now, in this writer's somewhat limited knowledge, there are a few problems with the banning.