What's New March 5, 2018

KIIS 101.1’s Jase and PJ commercial reported to Advertising Standards Board

A television commercial starring KIIS 101.1 Breakfast duo Jase and PJ is the subject of a recent complaint made to the Advertising Standards Board.

The commercial, part of ARN‘s latest multi-channel marketing campaign, was reported because it “normalises the act” of “oral sex” in the workplace – however after review, the Board dismissed the complaint.

The complainant also suggested the ad “degrades women” and is “appalling… in light of the global campaign against sexual harassment”.

The clip in question features Jase and PJ in an elevator, when Jase tells his co-host she has bird droppings in her hair.

PJ then bends over so Jase can remove the foreign matter, before a fellow female employee goes to enter the elevator. Seeing PJ bending over with her head at Jase’s crotch level, she declines the offer to join them and chooses to take the stairs instead.

“I don’t think we need to see simulated blowjobs at 6pm, on a news program,” continues the complaint. “It’s not only offensive, but we’ve got families watching at this time.

“Sounds like a group of adolescents got together in the advertising agency one night and came up with this puerile idea. Idiots.”

Jase and PJ have been using the tagline ‘always awkward’ since joining KIIS 101.1 at the start of the year.

ARN’s response is also contained in the Advertising Standards Board report, and notes that the advertisement was approved for broadcast before going to air.

“Whilst we acknowledge the Advertisement included a cheeky and irreverent innuendo, this was certainly not explicit, nor did the Advertisement contain other sexual or adult themes or undertones which might be obvious to children (regardless of the time of day it is broadcast),” said ARN.

“In light of the context in which the Advertisement was broadcast, KIIS 101.1 believes that the majority of its audience would regard the Advertisement as light-hearted, comedic and irreverent.”