Complaint about Kronic ads near school dismissed

Photo / Brett Phibbs

Advertising watchdogs have dismissed a complaint against a dairy advertising Kronic near a school - saying there was no breach of the code of ethics.

Secondary school teacher Marcelle Nader-Turner complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the unnamed dairy next to Dunedin's largest primary school.

It had a stand with lights on the product and at the counter there was a laminated poster, she said.

The posters were around the icecream machine, at children's eye level, and around the "heavily trafficked" children's areas where lollies, icecream and hot chips were sold.

Ms Nader-Turner said she realised it was a legal product and had asked the shop if it could be more thoughtful about its advertising and the heavy use of it.

A television screen with images of the product was taken down, but more posters put up, she said.

In her complaint, she alleged the shop was known by Dunedin youth as the place to get Kronic, and had sold it to uniformed children.

She said many angry parents and teachers had also approached the dairy.

The complaints board, at its meeting on June 14, considered whether there had been a breach of the code of ethics principle relating to social responsibility.

The shop owner said the in-store adverts had been reviewed and advised that suppliers would be asked for other posters. "When we place them, we will attempt to keep them above children's head height, and away from child-focused products."

The board acknowledged the products were legal and could be advertised.

It also noted that the complaint related to the placement of the posters, not their content.

In a majority decision, the board dismissed the complaint. The majority considered the slogans such as "Super High Me" and "Purple Haze" were not likely to be understood by young children. Some members disagreed, saying the adverts did breach the due sense of social responsibility of the code.

The advertiser, Light Years Ahead, did not respond to the complaint.

- Otago Daily Times