Controversial LekkeSlaap ad deemed offensive by Advertising Regulatory Board
The Advertising Regulatory Board has ruled that LekkeSlaap's latest advertisement featuring influencer Tali is offensive.
Image: Supplied
A controversial advertisement featuring Tali, a prominent influencer from Tali’s Wedding, has been deemed offensive by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).
The ad, which aimed to promote the online booking platform LekkeSlaap, depicts Tali filming herself at an airport while being persistently followed by a male character, Hannes, who makes unsolicited comments despite her clear discomfort.
The commercial shows Tali speaking to her social media audience on her phone. It starts with her saying: “Howzit, guys, I am travelling with Lekkeslaap. I’ve just come from a game lodge in the Kruger.”
A man sitting in the row of chairs behind her turns around and leans into the shot, saying, “Kruger! Man, I love that plek.”
Looking put out, she walks around the airport, but he keeps on following her, making comments.
The commercial sparked complaints, in which it was said that although the comments made by the male character are humorous, these comments are made at the cost of a person who has expressed their discomfort and desire to be left alone.
A scene from the latest LekkeSlaap commercial which the ARB found could be interpreted as harassment, showing the male character, Hannes, following Tali around the airport.
Image: Supplied
The complainant stated that, as gender-based violence and all forms of harassment are built on a “no” or boundaries being disregarded, society cannot view this lightly.
A further complainant highlighted that the man in the advertisement invaded the woman’s space and made her uncomfortable, ultimately following her and running after her, so that she had to ask him to stop.
This complainant strongly believes that the commercial depicts the harassment of women in public spaces.
The advertiser responded that the people in the commercial are two well-known characters who have appeared in many previous commercials. His defining traits are over-enthusiasm, brand fandom, and social obliviousness – never aggression or menace.
Tali’s humour, it said, lies in the performance of exasperation, not in genuine distress.
It added that the “comedy” markers are explicit, with the advertisement being clearly satirical and humorous, and said it received a lot of positive feedback.
But the advertising regulatory board disagreed and said that while the advertisement was intended as a joke, it still depicted behaviour which could be seen as harassment.
The directorate considered the defences of “it was just a joke” and “nothing bad actually happened to her”.
While it knows that the advertiser meant these defences with the best intentions, it is interesting and uncomfortable to note that these are exactly the things that a woman will often be told when she objects to the behaviour of a man in this type of situation, the directorate said.
It is contemplated that, had Hannes ceased his engagement after Tali asked him to leave her alone or when she showed obvious discomfort, and the commercial concluded in some other way, the same problematic outcomes might have been avoided.
However, the directorate made it clear that following a running woman, continuing to talk to her when she has requested to be left alone, and noting where she is travelling to, meet the definitions of harassment in real life, and should therefore not be depicted humorously in commercials.
It pointed out that this was not a unanimous conclusion, and some members felt that the obviously humorous and borderline slapstick nature of the advertisement negated any sense of malice or harm.
The ARB instructed its members not to show the commercial again.