Aldi's 2023 Christmas television advertisement portraying a man cooking on a BBQ on fire in the living room has been found to have breached Section 2.6 of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics. 

The Ad Standards Community Panel deemed the scene depicting indoor barbecuing to be inherently unsafe due to the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire danger.

Aldi initially defended the ad, arguing its marketing strategy typically incorporates quirky, exaggerated or fantastical elements mixed with relatable humour and the BBQ scene fit this description. However, the Community Panel dismissed these claims, agreeing with complainants that the indoor barbecuing scene had crossed a line.

While noting the advertisement featured a number of scenes all relating to sides for Christmas, and that many of the scenes contained fantastical and unrealistic elements, the Panel considered the scene with the barbeque did not contain the same level of fantasy that the other scenes did.

"The Panel considered that in the scene the man is seen to be using the barbeque in a confined space, with fire blazing and where the black smoke from the burning sausages has nowhere to go. The Panel considered that the actions of both the man, and the people in the background attempting to fan smoke away from the smoke alarm, are not unrealistic or fantastical," the case notes read.

"The Panel considered that while the intent of this scene is to be light-hearted and comedic, this is a dangerous action which should not be encouraged or made light of. The Panel noted that people have been seriously injured and killed by the use of barbeques indoors, and that this ad could be taken as a suggestion that this is an acceptable location to cook if the weather outside is not OK.

"Overall, the Panel considered that the depiction of indoor barbequing was contrary to prevailing community standards on safety."

As a result of the breach, Aldi has taken steps to review its media plan and remove any future live dates for the 60-second Christmas TV ad. The company noted that the 30-second edit of the ad does not include the controversial barbecuing scene.

The Panel dismissed concerns raised about other elements of the ad, including complainant's concerns that the ad's depiction of a face on a potato resembled someone with a skin condition; depictions of what looks to be a severed head; and someone whose hands are covered in what could be blood.