ASB clears Holden of wrong-doing

The Advertising Standards Board (ASB) has let Holden off the hook for its VF II Commodore TV commercial.

In a determination not quite two weeks ago, the ASB arrived at the conclusion that there was no evidence the Commodore SS shown in the commercial was speeding. The highest speed indicated in the car's head-up display was 98km/h.

While the ASB drew no conclusions as to why at least one complaint arose, the commercial features the Commodore closing on the camera car, travelling from the opposite direction. This enhances the sense of speed, as does hauling hard on the wheel of the Commodore to bring it alongside the camera car travelling abreast in another scene.

According to the ASB, one complainant had the following to say:

"This ad is not about the car. This ad is about eliciting feelings of power, directing and motivating one to speed. Their car is the way to do this. But it is not an ad about motivating to purchase the car. Not only is it illegal to do these speeds in Australia, we have a major issue with deaths on our roads from speeding! Accidents can happen, but speed kills. Please remove it."

The ASB also cited a comment suggesting the commercial was counter to the efforts of law enforcement agencies to reduce the road toll by focusing on speeding.

"The advertisement is using speed as a leading point to sell their product when every law agency is doing its best to reduce the speed of cars."

And in a third comment it was inferred from the commercial that Holden must be tailoring its entire product range to suit a small sector of the motoring community.

"It should be aiming at the general public with its advert and not the many speeding hoons who according to GMH out number the ordinary motorist."

Holden responded in writing to the ASB with an argument that centred essentially on the 'fantasy' nature of the commercial.

"The focus is on driving finesse, displaying the Commodore VFII driving along a vast flat fantasy landscape and announcing the arrival of Commodore VFII," the manufacturer declared.

That 'fantasy landscape' was the effect intended from use of "sophisticated videographic editing and background music" to create a "high energy environment" the manufacturer said. Holden revealed that the commercial was filmed at Victoria's Avalon airport, under controlled conditions.

The manufacturer also dismissed allegations of 'hooning' with the observation that "the driver retained full control of the vehicle while filming". There was no sign of wheelspin, oversteer or other 'hooning' fun behind the wheel.

Unlike the ASB, Holden did attempt to get inside the head of the complainants, offering the corporate opinion that "the clearly audible engine tones may have also contributed to the complainant’s concerns of ‘speed’ being used ‘as a leading point to sell [the] product’.

"The engine sound has been specifically featured in the Advertisement to draw attention to the introduction of the new bi-modal exhaust feature," the company continued.

"This feature has been introduced in response to high consumer demand for the authentic ‘overrun crackle’ which consumers identify with the Holden Commodore brand. The ‘crackle’ has been featured in the Advertisement as, by its nature it can only heard, not seen. However, noise does not in these circumstances equate to speed.

"Holden engineers have confirmed the same note would be audible whilst the vehicle is being operated at speeds of between 25km/h to 99 km/h. Therefore, excessive speed was not required, and was not in fact used, to achieve the audible sound and we note the same sound can be produced at very low speeds (consistent with most V8s).

"The Advertisement does not encourage ‘speeding’ as a means for drivers to experience the true V8 engine noise. We therefore reject assertions that the vehicle was being driven at excess speeds, or in any case, recklessly."

In its determination, the ASB noted that the advertisement did not depict excessive speeding and therefore did not breach Clause 2(b) of the FCAI Code. It dismissed the complaints as a consequence of that determination.

The commercial can be seen on YouTube.