Valvoline 'burnout' ad banned

The advertising standards watchdog has condemned Valvoline's latest TV advertisement, depicting Neanderthal men doing burnouts on a race track, after a public complaint was filed.

The Advertising Standards Board (ASB) responded to the complaint by deeming the TV ad "breaches Section 2 of the Advertiser Code of Ethics" but oil company Valvoline is contesting the finding, requesting an independent review.

As part of the company's new marketing campaign, "Man Like Horsepower", the commercial shows cavemen performing burnouts in Camaros, BMW M3s and Mercedes C63 AMG Coupes.

Part of the complaint send to the ASB reads:

Valvoline argued the TV advert, which is for its SynPower Engine Oil, "clearly depicted" the drivers of the vehicles doing burnouts as "primal men/Neanderthals in a fantasy scenario".

"This is evidenced by their extreme all over body hair & Neanderthal-like expressions," said Valvoline in its official response to ASB. "They are not intended, nor are they portrayed, to be human characters in a realistic setting".

The oil company denied the TV ad "encourages reckless driving or dangerous behaviour in breach of general community standards on health and safety" and that "nowhere in the advertisement are these drivers glorified or applauded".

The ASB has requested the TVC be modified while the independent review is heard, as it "depicts scenes that young adults would relate to and that the approach did undermine the importance driving carefully and within the law".

In its conclusion the ASB held firm to its long-held stance that any depiction of dangerous driving on broadcast television is unacceptable: "The Board considered that the advertisement does encourage the unsafe practice of burnouts or drifting and that this is material contrary to Prevailing Community Standards regarding responsible driving".

It's not clear if the independent review will have an impact on the ABS's decision.

Valvoline TV adverts were made famous in Australia via radio personality John Laws, and the baton was passed to cricket hero Ricky Ponting in recent times.

More often than not it's car manufacturer's adverts that raise the ire of home viewers, as in the instance of a BMW M235i cinema advertisement pulled due to burnouts most recently.

Swedish brand Volvo, which prides itself on its safety record, is also a multiple offender with several Volvo TV ads found to be unacceptable to the Australian viewing public due to dangerous driving techniques.