Ad Standards says no to Didi and ‘six middies’
Ad Standards has pulled up Didi for going a bit too hard, ruling the ride-hailing app’s radio ad about downing “six middies for dinner” missed the mark on responsible messaging.
The advertising watchdog declined to raise a glass to the China-based firm’s spot, which features a voiceover proclaiming: “Yes I Didi, loud and proud, churn it out.
“Yes, that’s it, yes, I have hot chips and six middies for dinner. And yes, I kick on after kick to kick.”
The ad then concludes with: “Say yes to cheap trips so you can do more. Say yes I Didi.”
The radio commercial forms part of Didi’s broader” Kick Ons” campaign and music platform, launched with agency Sunday Gravy in August.
The campaign encourages people to use the ride-hailer’s cheap rides and spend their money on nights out.
However, Ad Standards ruled the radio ad breached section 2.6 of the AANA Code of Ethics for health and safety, finding that “prevailing community standards would likely expect advertisers to encourage less alcohol consumption”.
“The panel considered that this ad presented having six middies for dinner and then ‘kicking on …’ in a way that implies drinking more is acceptable,” the panel said in the ruling.
While the term “middy” varies across states, Ad Standards noted it generally refers to a mid-size or mid-strength beer. According to Stone & Wood, a middy measures 285ml in NSW, the ACT and WA — a size known as a “pot” in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.
Citing federal health guidelines, which recommend no more than four standard drinks per day, the panel concluded that “a character having ‘six middies’” exceeded the recommended level of consumption.
“The panel considered that the ad did not present the advertiser’s services as a solution to excessive drinking, but instead created an impression that excessive drinking is acceptable because services like those provided by the advertiser exist,” it added.
Didi did not provide a response to the decision, leading Ad Standards to report a breach to the radio network.
Jerky Co also in the firing line
Didi wasn’t the only brand getting burned by Ad Standards, with The Jerky Co’s “That’s Aussie” TV spot also rapped for depicting unsafe sunbathing.
The ad, part of a campaign created by Sydney-based agency Spicy Tiger, shows a man lying by a pool. When he sits up and removes his sunglasses, a sharply defined tan line circles his eyes as a voiceover declares: “Yep, that’s Aussie.”
It then cuts to the man and a mate sitting in camp chairs by a river, eating beef jerky as the voiceover concludes: “The Jerky Co. That’s Aussie.”
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The advertiser defended the scene as a “brief comic exaggeration rather than a realistic or instructional portrayal,” but the panel ruled it breached safety standards.
“The panel also noted the voice-over statement ‘Yep, that’s Aussie’ and considered that this creates an association between being ‘Aussie’ and the practice of sunbaking,” the ruling said.
“The panel considered that this association might be interpreted to condone unhealthy and unsafe behaviour that would be contrary to prevailing community standards on sun safety.”
The Jerky Co said it has discontinued the current version of the ad featuring the sunbaking scene across both free-to-air and on-demand TV.
Toyota skids into hot water
Unsafe driving in a Toyota Yaris GR was another ad taken to task by Ad Standards, after complaints about a simulated scene of the carmaker’s flagship model racing into a large, empty shed and skidding through boom gates.
The vehicle is shown sliding sideways through the gates and continuing to drift through the shed before parking with a final sideways skid beside two other cars. The words “GR Yaris Nice To Know It Could” then appear on screen.
Toyota said the stunts were performed by a professional driver with a safety team and were designed to highlight the car’s connection to its motorsport heritage.
In its submission, the brand said: “Toyota considers that the impression of the overall advertisement is consistent with the theme of its broader and established marketing campaign, ‘Oh what a feeling,’ which often uses emotional connection to promote the benefit of the product — or in this case, a ‘rally car feeling’ for a motorsport-inspired consumer vehicle.”
However, Toyota ultimately accepted Ad Standards’ ruling that the ad depicted unsafe driving and has directed its media agency to discontinue the campaign, although a version remains on YouTube, uploaded by creative agency Hero.
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