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One of the more demure shots from the latest Hunky Dory's ad campaign, which has fallen foul of advertising regulators.

GAA-themed crisps ads not Hunky Dory, says advertising watchdog

The ASAI upholds 82 complaints against the Gaelic football-themed Hunky Dory’s ads which caused “grave and widespread offence”.

IRELAND’S ADVERTISING WATCHDOG has upheld 82 complaints made against the latest controversial advertising campaign for Hunky Dory’s crisps – featuring scantily-clad women posing suggestively as Gaelic footballers.

The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland said the adverts – which appeared as full-page and double-page ads in newspapers, as well as on billboards and online – breached five aspects of its advertising code.

Among the breaches were that the ad would cause “grave or widespread offence”, that it did not respect “the dignity of all persons”, and that it did not respect equality of men and women.

The body also said the ads – which featured slogans such as ‘Still sharing’, ‘Bursting with flavour’, and ‘Taaaasty’ – did not avoid “the exploitation of sexuality and the use of coarseness and undesirable innuendo.”

The advertiser, crisp manufacturer Largo Foods, had also breached the code by failing to respond to contact from the authority and offer a defence, which it had failed to do.

The common thread running through the complaints, the ASAI said, was that the ads were “offensive, exploitative, tasteless, degrading and sexist towards women and brought advertising into disrepute.”

Others complained that the ads served merely to objectify and not to sell crisps, while some complained it was demeaning to sportswomen. Among the complainants were the National Women’s Council of Ireland and the Renew support group.

Gaelic games groups had also distanced themselves from the ads, with the Camogie association’s president Joan O’Flynn saying the ads trivialised “the talent and ability of women in sport”.

The body also found that Largo Foods had been guilty of having “persistently and/or gravely breached its code”, noting that the latest ads were very similar to its rugby campaign from 2010.

“The Committee further considered that the advertisers seem to have deliberately flouted the Code with the intention of generating complaints, PR and subsequent notoriety,” it said.

Those Hunky Dorys ads are back… and so are the complaints

Camogie chief says crisps ads are just not ‘Hunky Dory’

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62 Comments
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    Mute Seamus MacIonnrachtaigh
    Favourite Seamus MacIonnrachtaigh
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    Dec 16th 2013, 11:36 AM

    In Ireland there are almost 100 empty houses for every homeless person.

    Funny, I don’t think Enda mentioned that last night.

    Threshold do excellent work but they really shouldn’t have to.

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    Mute John
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:08 PM

    I think its disgusting to use the picture of a homeless child in the 3rd world to contrast against housing problems in this country. The child you have depicted doesn’t have access to social services or the care we take for granted in this country.

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    Mute Alfalfa T Boggins
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:29 PM

    Send your child out to sleep on the street tonight and then tell us about the difference it is being homeless in Ireland tonight and being homeless in a third world country. At least in a 3rd world country they dont set their homeless on fire

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    Mute John
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:31 PM

    Alfalfa. Go to India or Bangladesh and see how the people in the slums live, they’re treated like vermin, they exist on nothing. the rats in this country have a better quality of life.

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    Mute Alfalfa T Boggins
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:37 PM

    Sorry John to me a homeless Child here in December is at risk as much any anyone anywhere. Most 12 year old’s are not aware of the services you speak about. Plus obviously no one would print a picture of a homeless child in Ireland, its too small a country.

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    Mute micheal285
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:23 PM

    Maybe it’s the shape of things to come John ??

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    Mute John
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:35 PM

    more than eight million Bangladeshis live on less than USD 2 a day. Its disgusting how people in our sheltered first world bubble compare their ‘hardships’ to the people of the 3rd world. We don’t know real hardship in this country. Open your eyes!

    http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=4794

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    Mute Aunty Simmonite
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    Dec 16th 2013, 12:28 PM

    Contrast the few comments on this issue with the outpourings of the do-gooders on the earlier ‘racist’ item.

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    Mute Sinead Hanley
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    Dec 16th 2013, 1:04 PM

    John… Charity BEGINS at home.. I dont know what kind of a mind would think its ok for an Irish child to suffer a little bit.. Its ok to be cold and hungry and wet.. At least she isnt suffering like those in the third world..

    A child should be subjected to NO suffering.. no matter what part of the world you live in..

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    Mute Mitch Connor
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    Dec 18th 2013, 3:32 PM

    Gg

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    Mute Arpy O'hEigceartaigh
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    Dec 16th 2013, 4:34 PM

    “Suffer little children to come unto me”
    I say no more; think about it.

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    Mute John Allen
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    Dec 17th 2013, 1:49 PM

    fantastic work is being done in cork in regard to homeesess and your journal is doing a great job in high lightind the matter my em address is danielgreydog@yahoo.co.uk used to do a lot of hunting in glanmire woods happy christmas an the new year too god bless

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