The out-of-home banner ad for Blok, fixed to scaffolding at one of its construction sites, boldly proclaimed: “Get sky high without a dealer.” A local resident filed a complaint to the ARB, calling the slogan “deliberately provocative” and “tasteless” in a community struggling with the very real impacts of gangsterism and drug addiction.
"It is tasteless and inappropriate to be trying to be clever in a neighbourhood that has families and is dealing with so much gangster culture and drug use on our streets," the complainant argued.
Blok, in its response, didn’t dispute the double meaning but maintained it was a “harmless” wordplay. The head of marketing expressed regret that the joke may have been taken the wrong way but defended its intention.
I'm truly sorry if Blok’s joke came across the wrong way. It was never meant to be taken personally and is certainly not directed at any one individual. Humour can be tricky because people interpret things differently, and I understand that certain topics can be sensitive or triggering. The billboard is a wordplay, rather than making light of anyone’s experiences.
While Blok made it clear that it does not consider itself bound by the ARB’s jurisdiction, the regulator still reviewed the complaint in the interest of its members and the broader public.
The ARB considered whether the line contravened Clause 1 of Section II of its Code of Advertising Practice, which bars advertising that offends against good taste or decency or is offensive to public or sectoral values.
Ultimately, the Directorate ruled in Blok’s favour, concluding that while the analogy wasn’t the most comfortable, it did not amount to serious or widespread offence.
Though the ARB acknowledged the sensitive context of drug addiction, it held that a reasonable viewer would understand the ad as a tongue-in-cheek way to sell a luxury lifestyle as “an alternative way to get high.”
Aa-isha Hassiem 8 hours
Brendan Seery 1 day
