Search

HELL Pizza's advertising is characterized by its provocative art, audacious copy and bold tactics that relishes in its hellish reputation. Rather than merely relying on attention-grabbing stunts, the brand employs strategies that tap into the deep-seated cultural norms of its audience. Often deemed controversial, HELL's advertising elicits strong public reactions, serving as a mirror reflecting the evolving cultural and moral sensitivities and the place of Christianity in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article critically examines the official complaints about the use of religious references in HELL's advertising to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Using thematic analysis, we analyse how 'offense' and references to Christianity are navigated by the public complainant, the ASA and the brand, in 79 rulings between 2005 and 2021. We conclude that while the brand consistently negotiates a fine line between edgy humour and potential offense, the ASA rulings suggest a societal trend leaning towards freedom of artistic expression, even when intertwined with religious undertones, particularly when a brand has a well-established identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work analyses the total of complaints received by the advertising self-regulation (ASR) system in Spain from 2010 to 2015. Based on their processing, a matrix of variables has been developed to study the existence or absence of significant relationships between the type and nature of resolutions and the type of offending advertisers. The variables analysed are: source of complaint, type of offending advertiser, infraction of the law, breach of the code of conduct, complaint resolution, nature of the resolution, source of appeal and appeal resolution. Results show that multinationals are the companies that most often infringe the law and codes of conduct, and also that in many cases the complaints against them are dismissed. The system mainly rejects complaints that are binding, that is, those against members of ASR. This work identifies severe flaws in the self-regulation process and questions its independence to conclude that Spanish ASR tends to protect advertisers rather than defend the rights of consumers. The implications of this work point towards an urgent need to implement structural changes to Spanish ASR, starting with the funding system and the selection of the Advertising Jury, as well as mechanisms that ensure the fulfilment of resolutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos.info is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Facultad de Comunicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)