An Uber Eats advert featuring Andy Murray has been ruled against by an advertising watchdog over kidnapping and violence themes.
Complaints were made to Australia's advertising regulator, Ad Standards, over an ad campaign featuring the tennis star.
Uber Australia ran four versions of the advert with the end result Murray becoming "available to order" through a competition to win a meet and greet on the company's app.
However, four complaints were made to Ad Standards over the campaign with fears over "kidnapping being promoted as a normal act" and Murray being portrayed to jump through a glass window.
One advert showed Murray answer the door of his hotel room to Uber Eats couriers then state he hadn't ordered anything before they said: "We're here for you, actually.
"We get all kinds of stuff now, including you.
"So if you could just get in the bag."
A tag line added: "Get almost, almost anything. Maybe even Andy Murray."
A short caption at the end of the first ad reads: "Order Andy Murray on Uber Eats now.
"We haven't caught him yet. But he can't run forever."
Uber Eats said of the nature of the adverts: "The multi-part series of advertisements follow two delivery people attempting to deliver Andy Murray via the Uber Eats app.
"At the end of the final advertisement, Andy Murray became ‘available for order’ through a competition on the Uber Eats app and the campaign concluded with a meet and greet experience for one app user.
"The advertisements should be considered in the context of this broader storyline played out during the campaign."
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The Ad Standards panel deemed three versions of the advert contained violence and menace with the fourth - depicting a short chase scene at a wedding - containing threat and menace.
The ruling document read: "The Panel considered that the overall theme is that the delivery people wish to take him against his will.
"The Panel considered that the overall feeling in all four versions of the advertisement is threatening, menacing and considered that attempting to abduct someone is violent behaviour.
"The Panel considered that the advertisement does depict or suggest violence."
Ad Standards concluded that the advertisement breached sections 2.3 and 2.6 of the Code. The panel upheld the complaints against the campaign, with the broadcast elements discontinued on January 26, 2025 at the conclusion of a two-week campaign period.
In response to the decision, an Uber Eats statement read: "Uber Eats thanks the Ad Standards Community Panel for its consideration and we acknowledge the valuable role they continue to play to promote responsible advertising.
"We maintain that the scenes broadcast were sufficiently exaggerated for comedic and dramatic effect and that no reasonable viewer would consider them realistic or as an endorsement of unsafe behaviour. Even so, we would like to thank the four members of the community for sharing their perspectives.
"The broadcast elements referenced in the complaints were discontinued on 26 January 2025 at the conclusion of the two-week campaign period."
