A Lindt chocolate bunny ad has been called out as misleading by a consumer, but Ad Standards has ruled otherwise.
The TV ad shows a grandchild rushing to give his grandfather a Lindt chocolate bunny, only to be surprised by the fact that his grandfather had the same intention. In one scene, a bunny mould is filled with liquid chocolate. In the next scene, the mould is opened to reveal a bunny-shaped chocolate.
According to the complainant, the ad shows a mould being filled with chocolate, creating the impression the product is a solid chocolate bunny, while in fact these items are hollow.
In response, Lindt said the ad accurately depicts the production of hollow chocolate figures.
“To create a hollow bunny, chocolate is poured on one half of a mould, after which the other half is attached, and the mould is agitated or spun so the chocolate coats the interior evenly, then left to set,” the company explained.
The advertiser also emphasised that the mould is not shown being fully assembled and then filled, which would be necessary to produce a solid chocolate figure.
Following a review, the Ad Standards Community Panel found that the ad did not breach the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Food and Beverage Code, as it did not create a misleading expectation about the product.
The panel said the advertiser’s explanation is reasonable and matches common explanations of how chocolate easter eggs are usually made.
“On an industrial scale a similar process is used – one side of a mould is partially filled, agitated and then ‘spun’ to evenly coat both sides before being cooled, ‘de-moulded’ and wrapped in foil,” the panel said.
They considered that it was “very unlikely that members of the community would expect to find a solid chocolate bunny as a result of this ad”.
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