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A parent has sparked backlash online after filing an official complaint about a giant Melbourne billboard advertising the hit video game Diablo 4.
The billboard features a horned woman - who is the fictional villain from the game - and the words “Welcome to hell Melbourne”.
It is understood the same advertisement was used in Brisbane with that city’s name.
The 43-year-old complainant said the billboard pictured the “devil” and was offensive to them as a Christian parent as it promoted “evil and satanic paraphernalia”.
They further claimed the imagery was inappropriate for children who could see the billboard located beside a busy freeway, and said it caused their own children to have nightmares.
“I feel it’s inappropriate to show such disgusting and disturbing content on a billboard where children are seeing this on a daily basis. It has no context and for an adult of 43, I found it unsettling,” the complaint read.
“It’s scary for young children who see it, but even as an adult it brought back memories of the hell of the two years of lockdowns in Melbourne.
“The language and words used are not necessary to get across the message about the release of this game.”
The advertiser, Activision Blizzard, defended the billboard saying it did not depict or promote the devil.
“The ‘Welcome to Hell’ refers to a fictional location that a person will visit as part of the gameplay in their quest to defeat the fictional villain portrayed in the ads,” the US-based company said.
“Given the punctuation, it does not state or imply that Brisbane or Melbourne is ‘hell’ and as such is not derogatory to these cities, or any of their inhabitants.”
The Ad Standards Community Panel, which is responsible for reviewing and assessing complaints from the Australian community about ads, dismissed the complaint as it did not breach the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) code of ethics.
Source: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/r...n/news-story/b4bb08ef3fec5bd6092bfd8e8efe30bb
The billboard features a horned woman - who is the fictional villain from the game - and the words “Welcome to hell Melbourne”.
It is understood the same advertisement was used in Brisbane with that city’s name.
The 43-year-old complainant said the billboard pictured the “devil” and was offensive to them as a Christian parent as it promoted “evil and satanic paraphernalia”.
They further claimed the imagery was inappropriate for children who could see the billboard located beside a busy freeway, and said it caused their own children to have nightmares.
“I feel it’s inappropriate to show such disgusting and disturbing content on a billboard where children are seeing this on a daily basis. It has no context and for an adult of 43, I found it unsettling,” the complaint read.
“It’s scary for young children who see it, but even as an adult it brought back memories of the hell of the two years of lockdowns in Melbourne.
“The language and words used are not necessary to get across the message about the release of this game.”
The advertiser, Activision Blizzard, defended the billboard saying it did not depict or promote the devil.
“The ‘Welcome to Hell’ refers to a fictional location that a person will visit as part of the gameplay in their quest to defeat the fictional villain portrayed in the ads,” the US-based company said.
“Given the punctuation, it does not state or imply that Brisbane or Melbourne is ‘hell’ and as such is not derogatory to these cities, or any of their inhabitants.”
The Ad Standards Community Panel, which is responsible for reviewing and assessing complaints from the Australian community about ads, dismissed the complaint as it did not breach the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) code of ethics.
Source: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/r...n/news-story/b4bb08ef3fec5bd6092bfd8e8efe30bb