That super diverse lamb ad? Some people reckon it's discriminatory.

Of course...
 By 
Ariel Bogle
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

UPDATE: Sept. 20, 2016, 9:01 p.m. AEST According to a MLA spokesperson, the ad is intended to be a celebration of Australia's diversity.

"We understand that the few complaints received by the ASB about MLA's Spring Lamb advertisement promoting Australia's diversity relate to concerns over discrimination against white males," he said.

"The overwhelming feedback to this campaign from all Australians has been positive. We are extremely proud of the ad’s content and its celebration of all Australians and their love of lamb."


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Oh, Australia. What could be the country's most diverse ad ever is facing complaints about "discrimination on account of race."

AdNews reports that Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)'s latest "Spring Lamb" ad, which features Australians of a range of cultures, genders and sexualities enjoying a nice bit of lamb, has been the subject of complaints made to the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB).

The ASB is considering six complaints so far against the television ad, a spokesperson told Mashable, and one against online version of the ad. She could not go into detail about the specific racial prejudice being alleged.

While seven complaints are not many, the irony is a tad delicious. The MLA's lamb ads have for years extolled a more macho, white vision of Australia, so its recent inclusive campaign signalled a marked change in approach.

"What we discovered when we started digging was the insight that advertising and marketing hasn't really kept pace with Australia and how Australia's moved on," MLA marketing director Andrew Howie told Mumbrella when the ad launched.

"We really thought it was important to highlight that when you watch TV and what you see in the broader media does not reflect what Australia truly looks like."

In addition to lead actor Arka Das, the ad features Indigenous Olympic champion Cathy Freeman, transgender comedian Jordan Raskopoulos and a host of high-profile, diverse talent.

Seven complaints are also a lot less than the MLA has fielded in the past. Its previous "Operation Boomerang" ad (released for Australia Day 2016) was the subject of more than 400 complaints across all mediums, according to the ASB spokesperson.

That ad faced criticism about its insensitivity to Australia's Indigenous people, given it depicted a military operation taking place on the day they were dispossessed of their land.

Others complained about violence given a man's coffee table was torched in the ad after he was identified as a vegan.

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Ariel Bogle

Ariel Bogle was an associate editor with Mashable in Australia covering technology. Previously, Ariel was associate editor at Future Tense in Washington DC, an editorial initiative between Slate and New America.

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