Melbourne-born streetwear brand Billy Bones Club has been told to remove a YouTube advertisement after it was found to have breached the AANA Code of Ethics, according to a case report from Ad Standards.
The YouTube ad features three women driving in a classic convertible, smoking and drinking from glass bottles. It also features two men running through a store.
In the end, all of these characters appear to be enjoying an outdoor barbeque while smoking and drinking from bottles.
A complaint was handed in to Ad Standards, claiming that the advertisement “leverages the notion that smoking is an essential part of the image and aesthetic attached to this brand.”
In its assessment of the ad, an Ad Standards Community Panel considered that the ad leveraged the typical rebellious youth lifestyle, including characters giving the middle finger, drinking straight from bottles and smoking.
“While the panel acknowledge that this was likely the deliberate brand positioning to align with the advertiser’s ‘bad to the bones’ aspirations, it expressed concerns over the fact that the rebellious behaviour included behaviour that would be considered unhealthy and unsafe by community standards.”
According to the panel, smoking is considered to be contrary to community standards on health, as well as drinking directly from two different bottles while riding in a vehicle. In the end, the panel found the ad breached section 2.6 of the AANA Code of Ethics, covering health and safety.
Ad Standards did call on Billy Bones Club to take down the advert, but the brand did not respond to the breach decision. A copy of the decision has since been shared with Google’s Trust and Safety team for review.