Austrian Advertising Council Denies Sexist Advertising

• Published date: 21 April 2022
• Subject Matter: Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Advertising, Marketing & Branding
• Law Firm: Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
• Author: Mr Stefan Kofler (Greiter, Pegger, Kofler & Partners)

The Hellbrunn Water Games, a famous tourist spot in Salzburg, including the Hellbrunn Palace and Trick Fountains, advertised a poster, which shows a painted water jet aiming directly between the open legs of a female dancer. People from Salzburg called this tasteless and sexist and made a complaint to the Austrian Advertising Council.

In its ruling the Austrian Advertising Council came to the decision that no sexualising content could be identified and that there was no violation of the code of ethics of the advertising industry. According to the Austrian Advertising Council, the design was clearly artistic in nature and no...