get Sky High Without A Dealer': Property Ad Sparks Humour Vs Sensitivity Debate

The out-of-home banner ad for Blok, fixed to scaffolding at one of its construction sites, boldly proclaimed: “Get sky high without a dealer.” A local resident filed a complaint to the ARB, calling the slogan “deliberately provocative” and “tasteless” in a community struggling with the very real impacts of gangsterism and drug addiction.

"It is tasteless and inappropriate to be trying to be clever in a neighbourhood that has families and is dealing with so much gangster culture and drug use on our streets," the complainant argued.

Blok, in its response, didn’t dispute the double meaning but maintained it was a “harmless” wordplay. The head of marketing, identified as Troy expressed regret that the joke may have been taken the wrong way but defended its intention. In a deeply personal aside, he noted, “I was once married to an addict… so please trust me when I say I know the devastating effects of addiction, well.”

While Blok made it clear that it does not consider itself bound by the ARB’s jurisdiction, the regulator still reviewed the complaint in the interest of its members and the broader public.

The ARB considered whether the line contravened Clause 1 of Section II of its Code of Advertising Practice, which bars advertising that offends against good taste or decency or is offensive to public or sectoral values.

Ultimately, the Directorate ruled in Blok’s favour, concluding that while the analogy wasn’t the most comfortable, it did not amount to serious or widespread offence.

The ARB noted in its ruling that the joke wors, pointing out that the banner could just as plausibly be read as a pun on the building’s height and its decision to bypass estate agents.

Though the ARB acknowledged the sensitive context of drug addiction, it held that a reasonable viewer would understand the ad as a tongue-in-cheek way to sell a luxury lifestyle as “an alternative way to get high.”