An advertising placement company has apologised to the Queensland government for running taxpayer-funded ads on a porn website featuring nude images of male models and prominent Australian actors.
A “Strong Choices” ad spruiking the need for debt reduction was placed next to a full-frontal image of a naked American male model.
Another advertisement from the state government’s $6m campaign ran next to a nude image of actor Stephen Curry in the TV miniseries Changi.
The Queensland government ad, asking the public if they would prefer asset sales or service cuts, appeared on a web page titled: “Yes, I’m Circumcised.”
The state government had hired advertising placement group MediaCom, which in turn contracted digital media group Exponential Interactive to place the ads.
Exponential’s sales director for Queensland and New South Wales, Sam Moles, has written to the Queensland government apologising for the error, which resulted in the ads being placed on WordPress open-source porn and anti-immigration sites.
“Exponential unreservedly apologise to the Queensland government for the errors made and grief incurred with the current choices campaign,” a letter obtained by AAP says.
It says the WordPress site was wrongly classified, adding Exponential had made a “human mistake” rather than lacking the right technology.
“We have taken immediate action by switching off all delivery to the site until further notice and discussion with the publisher takes place,” the letter says.
The government ads, asking the public how they would trim the state’s $80bn debt, appeared when the site was accessed on a smartphone.
Exponential said an “experienced media team” vetted where ads ran.
