Opinion

Subaru: driven by tools?

Currently running on the home page of YouTube is a promotion for the Subaru XV Rescue campaign.

The accompanying video ad features a car bombing about what looks like Sydney’s The Rocks.  

It’s a bit of a surprise to be honest because, frankly, he’s driving like a muppet.

I’m sure I remember being taught that you’re not supposed to cross over your arms on the steering wheel. Or indeed steer one-handed as appears to be the case. Or violently swerve to park.

And the speed they leap out of the car as it screeches to a halt implies that they’ve not bothered with seatbelts either.

When the inevitable complaint arrives with the Ad Standards Board, it will be interesting to see how they interpret the code of practice for car ads:

“Advertisers should ensure that advertisements do not depict, encourage or condone dangerous, illegal, aggressive or reckless driving. Moreover, advertisers need to be mindful that excessive speed is a major cause of death and injury in road crashes and accordingly should avoid explicitly or implicitly drawing attention to the acceleration or speed capabilities of a vehicle.”

Which would, I’d contend, include the act of driving like a muppet.

(I’ve asked Subaru for comment and will update this with a response if they get back to me)

Update:

Subaru tells me:

1. All passengers were wearing seatbelts at all times. Only when the vehicle was at a complete stop were they removed.

2. Driving one-handed was as the result of the vehicle having a manual transmission and was necessary to change gears.

3. We comply with both the FCAI and AANA codes for advertising which are the same across all mediums, including internet.

Subaru has a robust track record when it comes advertising standards compliance. All of our advertisements are scrutinised by third party lawyers to ensure they adhere to the relevant codes.

Tim Burrowes

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