A McDonalds TV ad showing children in Minions costumes playing in a playground has been found to breach the AANA Food and Beverages Advertising Code preventing brands targeting children.

The ad promotes Despicable Me 4 themed menu items. Concerns were raised that the ad was targeting children by featuring a children's toy happy meal on air during prime time tv. Advertising fast food at children during prime time is also against the advertising guidelines.

Under the AANA Food and Beverages Code, ads for occasional food or beverage products must not target children.

The Community Panel found that the product would have significant appeal to children. Additionally, the visuals in the ad, which included occasional foods, would appeal more to children than to adults.

Overall, the Panel considered that the visuals would be principally appealing to children under 15. Another question was whether the language/wording/music of the advertisement principally appealing to children. The Panel noted the advertiser's response that the language and music in the advertisement would be principally appealing to adults through the use of RnB music and the call-to-action targeting adults.

The Panel considered that while the call-to-action was targeting adults, the wording of "grown-ups" and "your little Minions" was childlike and likely to appeal to children. The Panel considered that the language and music of the advertisement would be equally appealing to children under 15 and adults. The Happy Meals are also a product principally appealing to children, the Ad Standards panel said.

The ad was therefore found to have breached the AANA Food and Beverages Advertising Code (Section 3.1).

In a response, McDonald's said it was disappointed with the decision and refuted any suggestion in the complaint or otherwise that the Advertisement breaches the Codes. In its submission, the QSR both noted the healthy food in the ad, as well as the fact children were not shown to be consuming the food in the advertisement, and that music and the narrative focused on a broader family audience.

"At McDonald's we take our responsibility as an advertiser very seriously. Whilst we were disappointed with the outcome of the complaint, McDonald's remains committed to ensuring compliance with the AANA Advertising Codes and we respect the final decision from Ad Standards. This advertisement is no longer airing."