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Toyota’s flood-fording 4WD breaches standards and undermines government messages: ASB

Toyota Landcruiser ASBToyota has failed to have complaints about an ad featuring a four-wheel-drive traversing a flooded area dismissed after the advertising watchdog found it undermined a government push to stop people risking their lives by crossing through flood-waters.

The ad, which carries the feel of a frontier adventure story, features a range of Toyota vehicles towing planes, cars and transporting livestock.

In one scene a Landcruiser is seen entering floodwaters to rescue a man from a flooded creek, which triggered complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau.

“We feel that the Toyota Landcruiser Legends ad depicts unsafe driving practices by depicting the Landcruiser being used as a rescue vehicle in flood waters but not being driven by trained rescue personnel,” the complaint outlined.

“The advert depicts a Landcruiser entering flood-waters promoting the ability of a Landcruiser to undertake that activity. People die ever year from this unsafe activity and it is highly irresponsible to have a major company promoting unsafe behaviour. This ad is in direct conflict with Government message that (is) trying to promote safety in flood-water by reinforcing that it does not matter which car you drive, flood-water is unsafe.”

In response to the complaints Toyota said the ad did not depict the car going beyond its capabilities at any time.

“Whilst the scene in the Advertisement was created using real world footage, the Vehicle is at no time depicted undertaking activities that put the lives of anyone in peril or which it could not actually perform in the real world,” it said in its response.

“Contrary to the contention of the Complaint, Toyota does not believe that the Advertisement in any way promotes reckless driving in flood-waters.”

The ASB looked at the defence and noted it had dismissed a similar complaint about a VW ad where a car was crossing a creek, but noted that at that time the creek was not flooded and clearly part of a scenario common in an off-road setting.

However, in the case of the Toyota ad, the ASB said it appeared that the water in the scene where a man is rescued from a fence was flood-water.

It rejected concerns about another scene in the ad where a ranger’s vehicle was towed from a shallow creek.

“The Board noted the Queensland Government is raising awareness of the dangers of floods to drivers and considered that there was significant community concern around this issue,” it said in the determination.

“The Board noted that…it was not clear whether the water level was rising or not and that the fact the man had been stranded on a fence would suggest that the water levels had risen suddenly and caught him unaware.

“This scene in the advertisement, of a vehicle driving through flood-water was a depiction which undermines the current community safety messages around driving through floodwater.”

While Toyota rejected the ASB’s findings it said it would abide by the ruling and withdraw the ad.

“As at the date of this letter, we have instructed our media agency to immediately remove the Advertisement from air across all media,” Toyota said.

Simon Canning

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