Advertising Regulatory Board clears Med-Lemon's controversial sneeze ad

The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has found that although a Med-Lemon advertisement depicting a graphic sneeze with mucus flying all over other people skates the fine line between “gross” and “offensive,” it does not breach the advertising standards code.

The advert had sparked two complaints before the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).

One of the complaints stated that the ad was "very disgusting and disturbing to watch". "It doesn't promote hygiene and so soon after the Covid-19 pandemic, it's in really bad taste with no sense of promoting hygiene.”

The second complaint was in a similar vein, with a member of the public who saw the TV advertisement being disgusted by the sneezing person’s bodily fluids spraying over people.

The advertiser responded that they recognise the heightened sensitivity around respiratory illnesses, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they assured that this was carefully considered in their approach.

The advertiser stated that their primary objective with this campaign was to address a critical public health challenge: the significant impact of influenza in South Africa. While Covid-19 has been a focus, the advertiser stated that it is important to remember that influenza remains a serious threat. “Flu paints a bleak picture,” it said.

According to the advertiser, the exaggerated dramatisation of a sneeze and the personal and social chaos it creates was a deliberate creative choice. “By vividly portraying the unpleasant consequences of delayed treatment via exaggerated dramatisation, we aim to make consumers realise the importance of acting at the very first sign of symptoms,” the advertising company explained.

It said this approach, while bold, is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society, as it directly promotes public health and is proportionate to the significant societal concern surrounding respiratory illnesses.

In analysing the advertisement, the directorate of the ARB said it has no difficulty in concurring that the sneeze depicted in the advertisement is unpleasant to watch. “Bodily fluids are a significant disgust trigger for the average consumer, and this commercial certainly hits the mark for many consumers. That being said, disgust felt on the part of a viewer does not necessarily mean that an advertisement is in and of itself offensive,” it said.

The directorate noted that the purpose of this commercial, as outlined by the advertiser, is to prevent an outcome such as the unpleasant sneeze. It said it understands that the audience is supposed to be disgusted by the sneezing man. The commercial delivers the message, loud and clear, that going out in public with raging respiratory infection symptoms affects all those around us, it said.

Cape Times