Banned drinks ad shown here

By Keith Perry

A television advertisement banned in Britain for encouraging schoolchildren to slap each other in the face is being screened in this country.

The Tango fizzy drink ad features a tubby, orange-coloured genie sneaking up on a man opening a can and smacking him in the face with both hands as soon as he takes a sip.

The ad - being screened by TV One and TV2 - was meant to show Tango had a tasty kick but led to children belting each other round the ears during their lunchbreaks.

Television watchdogs in Britain pulled the plug after a flood of complaints from parents, doctors and teachers.
A toned down version of the commercial was later allowed after the genie kissed his victims on both cheeks instead of slapping them.

Dr Mark Izzard, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Auckland's Starship children's hospital said slapping people over the ears could cause deafness. "[It] can cause an air pressure injury called barotrauma which can result in a perforated eardrum. My job will certainly become a lot busier if this craze kicks off over here."

Winston Richards, the chief executive of the Television Commercials Approval Bureau, said the ad was passed as it was light-hearted and would not promote violence. "We are very strict on violence in television commercials particularly if they are promoting a product that has a youth market. But we felt [the ad] wasn't a risk."

Last night the marketing manager for Power Drinks which markets Tango in this country, Danny Kenney, said: "It is English slapstick humour and we hope that it's appreciated by the New Zealand public. It certainly doesn't encourage people to go around beating people up."