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Time to kick the hell out of Hell’s Pizza, says Direct Democracy

The Hells Pizza organisation has again transgressed the lines of decency and common decorum by publishing a soft porn smut magazine alongside its sale of its core product, says the Deputy Leader of the Direct Democracy Party of New Zealand (www.ddp.co.nz), Steve Taylor.

“After the caning the Hells Pizza organisation took from the Advertising Standards Authority the last time as a result of their unwise choice to post condoms to 6 year olds, I would have thought it prudent for their marketing guys to pull their heads in”, says Mr Taylor.

“If Hells Pizza want to involve themselves in Social Policy and political issues of the day - they should start a political party. In the meantime, it would be prudent of them to "stick to their knitting", and they need to stop assuming that they can act with impunity with their advertising and promotion”.

Needless to say, I will be encouraging both our party members and their families to boycott the Hells Pizza product, until and unless they show some significantly improved judgement in this area”.

“I have made a formal complaint to the ASA, and I trust that the ASA will follow up this complaint, particularly as it applies to:

Advertising Code of Ethics – Basic Principles

• All advertisements should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society.

4. Decency - Advertisements should not contain anything which clearly offends against generally prevailing community standards taking into account the context, medium, audience and product (including services).

5. Offensiveness - Advertisements should not contain anything which in the light of generally prevailing community standards is likely to cause serious or widespread offence taking into account the context, medium, audience and product (including services).

Code for advertising to Children • Principle 2 - Advertisements should observe a high standard of social responsibility. 2(i) Advertisements should not portray sexually suggestive images&&

• Principle 3 - Advertisements should not by implication, omission, ambiguity or exaggerated claim mislead or deceive or be likely to mislead or deceive children, abuse the trust of or exploit the lack of knowledge of children, exploit the superstitious or without justifiable reason play on fear.

3(b) Advertisements should take into account the level of knowledge, sophistication and maturity of the intended audience. In particular special care should be taken when communicating with younger children who may have a lack of ability to comprehend the purpose of advertising and differentiate between it and non-advertising messages.

• Principle 4 - Advertisements should not encourage inappropriate purchase or excessive consumption.

4(a) Children are not a homogeneous group but have varying levels of maturity and understanding. Care needs to be taken that the product advertised and style of advertisement are appropriate for the audience to whom it is primarily directed.

Code for advertising of food

• Principle 3 - Advertisements directed at children should observe a high standard of social responsibility.

ENDS

www.ddp.co.nz

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