It’s okay to do blockies in Lonnie but don’t lean out of the window, says ad watchdog
An ad for National Pies featuring young women P-platers driving laps around Launceston has been banned by the Ad Standards Board because one of them hangs out of the car window.
The ad, which aired on Tasmanian television, drew a complaint from a member of the pubic who wrote: “Inappropriate and offensive advertising stating and displaying poor and unsafe driving “400 times around local city block”. A female in the rear of the car is shown performing dangerous activities in hanging her head outside of a moving car and also
she performs an offensive gesture outside the car.”
Tasmanian Bakeries argued:
“The campaign highlights those eccentricities that are exclusive to our state, just as National Pies are uniquely and proudly Tasmanian. It is a tongue in cheek campaign that puts a mirror to the people of Tasmania and hopefully makes them smile.
“In most Tasmanian towns there is a common blockie route, and we simply sought to celebrate the freedom that comes with getting your provisional driver’s license (P plates) and being able to drive your friends around for the first time.”
However, Tasmanian Bakeries admitted that a version of the ad showing the woman giving a one-finger gesture to passers by had been aired on television by mistake.
It conceded: “Regarding the gesture that was actioned by the passenger in the rear seat of the vehicle, this ‘blockies’ piece featured two alternative cuts. The first is a general cut that ends with a normal handwave. The second features a single finger gesture directly to camera. This second cut was designed for release to limited audiences only – those being our social media followers, where posting age restrictions are applied.
“Unfortunately, through a human/clerical error, the incorrect version of the advertisement was sent to the TV stations and was subsequently put to air on Sunday 14 July 2019. As soon as we identified the error, swift action was instigated to remove this piece, as it was never designed for the Free to Air TV environment.”
The ASB ruled that although doing blockies was okay, leaning out of the car was not safe. It said in its ruling: “The Panel noted the reference to doing 400 laps around the same city block and considered that this driving practice in itself is not unsafe or dangerous and would not be considered contrary to Prevailing Community Standards on health and safety.
“The Panel considered that in the current advertisement the rear passenger’s behaviour in leaning her head and arm outside of the vehicle would be a clear breach of the Road Rules. The Panel considered that most members of the community would consider road rules to be consistent with Prevailing Community Standards on road
safety and that a depiction of a person clearly breaching the Road Rules would be contrary to Prevailing community Standards.”
Maybe a head outside the window on each side …
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