New Supercheap ad deemed to depict dangerous behaviour
Ad Standards Australia takes issue with Supercheap’s new Best Performing Oils advertisementSupercheap Auto has landed itself in hot water with the nation’s advertising watchdog following the release of its latest Best Performing Oils video and subsequent advertisements, which according to Ad Standards Australia feature dangerous and illegal behaviour.
This year’s Best Performing Oils feature was released via YouTube on September 7 and is set in a fictional retirement village for motorsport athletes and car personalities, culminating in a mad dash between the oldies to get to the weekly bingo game that’s been brought forward an hour.
An all-out suburban gymkhana erupts as the myriad stars and personalities take to competition cars of all varieties to engage in an armada of tongue-in-cheek drifts, spins, burnouts, donuts, jumps and slow-mos on the way to the bingo hall.
Of all the different stunts performed, it seems one in particular didn’t sit well with a viewer who subsequently complained to the Ad Standard Community Panel.
“A man is standing while a car is doing high speed circles around him, appearing to narrowly miss him,” the complaint reads, referring to a scene involving Supercars drivers David Reynolds and Matthew Payne.
“I was under the impression such depictions of dangerous driving were illegal?”
Supercheap Auto provided a lengthy response to the complaint, insisting the advert and wider video had received classification and pre-approval from Clear Ads before being aired, on top of being shot in a highly controlled environment away from the public and with professional drivers.
“The vehicle used in the advertisement is clearly a professional race car with race-car livery, no number plates, and the inclusion of a roll cage. It is not a passenger or road legal vehicle,” the response reads.
“We have produced a suite of supporting ‘behind the scenes’ content intended for online, which contains interviews with the stunt drivers, stunt coordinators and the on-set safety supervisor where they explain the significant practice undertaken to be able to perform the precision moves.
“The action in the advertisement has been highly overdramatised to further ensure that the commercial reflects a fictitious scenario.
“We have also used music and humour to reinforce that this is a highly stylised ‘made-for-tv’ environment not an everyday scenario that can be replicated in the real world.
“For the reasons outlined in this response we do not believe that The Advertisement depicts material which contravenes 2.6 of The Code but rather depicts professional drivers carrying out a highly detailed choreographed precision driving sequence to showcase the performance of the oil brand.”
Section 2.6 of the AANA Code of Ethics states that an advertisement shall not depict material contrary to Prevailing Community Standards on health and safety, for instance riding a bike without a helmet or not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car.
Despite Supercheap’s best efforts to satisfy the criteria and following the correct processes re classification, the Ad Standards Community Panel ultimately ruled the ad does breach Section 2.6 of The Code and needs to be modified accordingly.
“The Panel noted that it would be illegal for a vehicle to perform stunts like those depicted in the advertisement on a residential street,” it said.
“The Panel considered that the driver may have been shown in safety gear, but the pedestrian on the road was not.
“The Panel noted the advertiser’s response that the pedestrian was in makeup to make them appear older which added to the unrealistic nature of the advertisement, however considered that this was not apparent in the short advertisement.
“The Panel considered that there is high community concern about the risks associated with non-professional drivers attempting such stunts and considered that if anyone attempts to replicate such driving it could result in serious injury or death.
“The Panel considered that the demonstration of this stunt on a residential street was glamorising such driving, and the message in the ad of ‘make it super’ could be interpreted as a suggestion that using the promoted oil products will enable any vehicle to perform similar stunts.
“Overall, the Panel considered that the demonstration of illegal driving behaviour on a residential street would be against prevailing community standards on road safety.”
Supercheap Auto has since confirmed it will modify the ad to ensure it complies with Section 2.6, but won’t have to change the full-length video on YouTube due its publishing as a feature as opposed to a commercial advertisement.
Other high-profile commercials deemed too dangerous for Aussies include the most recent RAM 1500 TRX advertisement, which shows the world’s most powerful production pick-up rooster-tailing through sand dunes, frightening its passenger – and the pre-launch teaser for the Ford Ranger Raptor, which shows the twin-turbo super-ute jumping its way across the desert.
Related: RAM 1500 TRX commercial banned
Related: Ford Ranger Raptor teaser too hot for Oz
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