Ad watchdog rules against five Wicked Camper slogans despite pledge to clean up its act
Wicked Campers has fallen foul of the ad watchdog for the first time in 2015, with the Ad Standards Board ruling against five of the camper’s controversial slogans.
The ruled against slogans included “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere…“; “Women fake orgasms because they think men care!“; “I ate so much pussy in those days my beard looked like a glazed donut” alongside an image of American actor Dennis Hopper; “Virginity is curable” alongside an image of a female Lego character lying on top of a male Lego character; and a cartoon of Shaggy and Scooby Doo smoking a bong.
Complaints largely focused on the inappropriate messages included in the slogans which children are able to see.
The complaints follow Wicked Campers pledging to remove the controversial slogans from the sides of its vans and apologising after a Change.org petition campaigned against the slogan”“In every princess there is a little slut who wants to try it just once”.
One complaint wrote: “My children were in the car car who are old enough to read and wanted to know what these messages meant. I was outraged that their innocent minds should be exposed to this and that I should be forced to provide an explanation. Not only that, as a woman, I was personally offended by the derogatory references to females. All of this comes after Wicked promised to clean up their act.”
Wicked did not make a submission to the ASB hearing.
The ASB ruled against the slogans as they were generally deemed inappropriate for a broad audience which could include children due to either the sexual nature of the slogan, inappropriate language or the depiction of cartoon characters recognisable to children smoking an illegal substance.
Last year the ASB ruled against Wicked Campers 15 times for the slogans:“In every princess there is a little slut who wants to try it just once”, “Chuck Norris needs a monkey wrench and a blowtorch to masturbate”, “If you love God, burn a church” “Get out ya tits and we’ll call it quits”, “Fat girls are harder to kidnap“, “Does your asshole ever get jealous of the shit that comes out of your mouth?”, “Shut the f#ck up Donny“, “God I’m Fucking Awesome”, “I was in fuckin’ Nirvana dude. Dave Grohl“, “Half of life is fucking up, the other half is dealing with it”, “…Save a lollipop…suck a dick!”, “Yes We Can!” which ran on the side of a car along with an image of Adolf Hitler, “a blow job a day beats an apple”, “camouflage condoms: she’ll never see you cumming” and “You’re F#ckin’ Out! I’m F#ckin’ In!”
Miranda Ward
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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I’m just going to go ahead and say that Wicked Campers slogans are hilarious and while I understand why they have to be removed, I want to live in a world where they can stay.
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Hello.
My name is Paula Orbea and was the one who started the petition six months ago.
Thank you for this great piece! This business has no integrity – on numerous levels. I just wanted to add that there was another upheld decision by the ASB against the van with the slogan, ‘You’re F#ckin Out I’m F#ckin In’ which – by the way – says on the back: ‘Honk if you want to be dipped in chocolate and fed to the lesbians’.
I’m currently coordinating my next move and waiting for certain governments to settle down before proceeding. Will keep you posted, if you wish.
Paula x
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then paint them on your own car.
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I’d prefer these kind of sentiments are never said. If they are, keep them in the footy change rooms.
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Sounds like the ASB have these recidivists quaking in their boots.
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Sorry not sorry – umm, Wicked campers did just that! You might have something to gripe about if they painted them on YOUR car.
Rebecca – if they were kept in footy change rooms, what would the do-gooders have to complain about?
This is all brilliant advertising for Wicked – they can simply thumb their noses at the ASB while getting countless column inches for nothing. Go you good thing!
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“Ad Watchdog” is an apt description: all they do is watch. So, for how many years into the future will this go on? “Watchdog” says clean your act up / Wicked Campers says OK then carries on regardless.
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From the comments on this page you can see that men don’t seem to mind these ads as most are aimed at degrading women. Unfortunately that sums up the problem – men think that the degrading of women is a laugh.
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@Nick – I dont think they are laughing at degrading women – the slogans are also homophobic among things. They just play on the old Aussie tradition of having a laugh.
I’m with Sorry – I see why they will eventually come down, but I have a chuckle every time one drives past.
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So Rrrosco, you’d be fine with your 6 year-old daughter reading “in every princess there’s a little slut …” & other such slogans on camper vans? These slogans are indicative of a hatred of & a desire to objectify women & to reduce them to nothing more than sexual playthings. They’re revolting.
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I think that while being cheeky and lad-ish are integral parts of Wicked Campers’ character and a clear point of difference, there are much better ways of being irreverent.
This is just an unimaginative attempt to connect with travellers that confuses humour with obnoxiousness, made worse by the kind of misogyny I thought we left behind in the year 7 locker area.
Hopefully the proverbial drone strike does occur, and Wicked Campers are forced to resort to humour that isn’t completely and utterly putrid.
Knock on wood.
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I’m with Sorry and the Discerning Hipster (wow) – but am confused that the suggestion is by removing them from Wicked campers we will eradicate these thoughts from society as well???
Good luck with that, was down the beach the other day and it seemed all the younger ones talked like this, and in their blogs, vlogs, snapchat, twiitter, secret, instagram, what’sapp….the list is endless. maybe it’s not the medium…
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Completely against fun police Paula Orbea.
You should focus more on all the stuff out there that will actually harm your child. McD’s, sugary drinks, narrow minded thinking and not to forget celebrity paedophiles. A bit of banter on the side of a van will do nothing more than give them a broader understanding of the human psyche.
Censorship breeds ignorance.
Removing slogans from the vans wont remove them from society.
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Hi Paula Orbea,
Its just a bit of fun!
No need to go all change.org on the concept – its the voice of a generation (y / z) that promotes its entire existence.
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I cry my eyes out whenever I see a slogan that offends me.
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“My children were in the car car who are old enough to read and wanted to know what these messages meant. I was outraged that their innocent minds should be exposed to this and that I should be forced to provide an explanation”
So in otherwords;
“These slogans personally offend me and I feel slighted that I have to do my job as a parent and explain complicated situations and ideas to my children”.
I find it mind boggling that the complainant doesn’t seem to understand their role as a parent.
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