Nissan Navara commercial complaint dismissed
CGI wildebeest are not the subject of animal cruelty, says Advertising Standards BoardA complaint levelled against Nissan for its latest television commercial has been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Board (ASB).
The commercial shows a father and son in a Navara driving alongside a herd of wildebeest, with the son telling his father at the end "best holiday ever dad". Complainants voiced concerns that the commercial encouraged driving that could damage the environment and scare animals.
According to the ASB, the following is indicative of the complaints received, in response to the commercial:
"As a nation we are trying to preserve wildlife so our kids can enjoy the ever dwindling
species in ever dwindling spaces.
"So why would Nissan think that ripping through wildlife and stirring them up completely unnecessarily, teach the young kid in the car to act responsibly toward nature in his future.
"C'mon , it's real stupid, and makes me think either Nissan is an immature organisation or they have some short sighted, bush-unaware, don't think about the future juveniles writing cringe worthy ads."
Additional complaints revolved around the perception the vehicle "rips up the creek bank" and the "large herd of cattle" was "being harassed by a driver" and "the middle aged driver and the child are grinning at the fact they are scaring the animals".
Nissan, in reply, refuted any suggestion of violence or terror inflicted upon the animals, and also offered the observation that the cattle appearing in the commercial were computer-generated wildebeest. The company's advertising agency has even produced a 'making of' video to illustrate the technology employed in the creation of the commercial.
At no stage, did the commercial show the Navara harming the environment ('rips up the creek bank'), Nissan argued.
In its determination, the ASB drew a parallel with a similar case presented against Mazda for its CX-5 SUV. As with the Navara, the CX-5 commercial showed a CGI-rendered animal – a cheetah – and the Mazda pictured in grassland intended to emulate the cheetah's native environment.
There was no indication of environmental damage done, says the ASB, and no animal suffered during the making of either commercial.
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