Wicked Campers – Australia’s most out-of-control advertiser – is first to reach 100 watchdog rulings
Wicked Campers has become the first brand to be subject to 100 different case investigations by adland watchdog the Advertising Standards Board.
In a ruling published on Friday the renegade advertiser – which has ceased responding to the ASB when complaints are investigated – was once again found to be breaching the voluntary Advertiser Code of Ethics with its use of an image of the interior of one of its vans on its website with the word “cunt” clearly visible.
Of the 100 investigations the company has been subject to by the ASB since the board began publishing the cases on its website, the complaint has been upheld more than 70 times.
Many of the complaints have related to misogynistic, racist or homophobic jokes and slogans, along with use of extreme language. They also demonstrate something of an obsession with sexual activities involving actor Chuck Norris.
Wicked Campers has been a persistent thorn in the side for the ASB, because the ad industry funded body administers a voluntary code, which gives it little power to remove a message when a brand owns its own assets.
In the case of Wicked Campers, most of its offending behaviour takes the form of slogans on the company’s own vehicles or on its own website. This means the ASB is unable to ask media owners to decline its ads.
The behaviour has resulted in legislation being enacted in Queensland which will allow authorities to deregister vehicles carrying marketing messages that breach the rules.
Complaints in which the ASB has ruled against Wicked Campers:
- “On the side of the camper van was 2 logo figures simulating a sexual act, on the back of the van was the slogan ‘virginity is curable’.”
- “Had a very inappropriate comment about sex on the van – it said ‘If sex is a pain in the arse you are doing it wrong’.”
- “Does your asshole ever get jealous of the shit that comes out of your mouth?” Slogan on the back of the camper.
- Website booking special: discounts offered to those who have used drugs. The promo code is
IMSTONED. - “I was stuck behind a campervan with the following slogan in huge letters ‘Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere’.”
- “The Wicked Camper rental van had this message displayed in large print across the back of it: “Hurricanes are like women. When they come, they’re wet and wild, and when they leave, they take your house and car.”
- “Painted a woman on each side. One side had a wonder woman type figure with no bra with the writing “Pussy cat” The other side had a dark skinned woman Labelled “Pussy Wagon” The slogan on the back was “Get out your tits or we’ll call it quits”
- White sticker with red splatter marks and red lettering reading, “Kangaroo’s [sic]. Run the fuckers down.
- Slogan: “Gay guys settle disputes by going outside and exchanging blows.”
- On the back of the vehicle in our tourism carpark highly frequented by people of all ages, in large words was written: “Confucius say man with dick in peanut jar is fucking nuts”
- Writing on van that said “fat girls are harder to kidnap”.
- A winking Lego man with his head near a Lego woman’s vagina. The slogan was she wants my brick. The Lego woman has her knickers mid thigh and a bra on. The back of the van says “virginity is curable”. The drivers side of the van has the winking Lego man lying on top of the Lego woman and the writing on the door says “legover”
- Picture of a cigarette packet (Winfield) with the slogan ‘Anyhow book online today.’
- The printing on the side of the van said “if you’ve ever met a woman with crooked teeth, you’ve met a woman who has given Chuck Norris a blow job”.
- The back of a Wicked Campers van has the words, “I’m straight; don’t rear end me!”
- Wicked Van with slogan on the back – “I wouldn’t trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn’t die”
- White car with the Wicked Campers internet address across the rear windscreen and the text, “I was in fuckin’ Nirvana dude. Dave Grohl” written on the side panel
- Red car with the Wicked Campers slogan and the text, “God I’m Fucking Awesome” written on the side panel.
- Red Wicked Campers van with a cartoon image of two men and the text, “Shut the f#ck up Donny” on the side panel.
- Snow White doing cocaine
- Don’t rob a 7/11 in just any hire car or campervan – do it in a Wicked Campervan baby!
- Fuck it Dude….. let’s go bowling!
- Text reads, “A blow job is a great last minute gift”.
- The camper van had been painted with the following:
“80% of preists [sic] who’ve tried camels, prefer young boys” and on the sides there were references to sex and genitalia. - The advertisement consisted of our car being called “LSD taxi” and someone was represented with a blue pill on the tongue.
- “This was a decorated Wicked campervan with pictures of various items turned into large penises (cuban cigar, french loaf etc) plus the words “My cock just died, can I bury it in your backyard” painted across the back. The “French” penis was wearing a beret!”
- A Wicked Camper painted on the back with the words ‘bukkake ruined my carpet!’
- “If a dog smells you’re arse, you’re probably a bitch! (They spelt it wrong too).”
- “Slogan painted on rear of car: A blow job a day keeps the break up away.”
- The advertisement is painted on the back panel of a vehicle and states: “Legs are a girls best
friend, but even the best of friends must part”. - “CHUCK NORRIS NEEDS A MONKEY WRENCH AND A BLOWTORCH TO MASTURBATE”
- A slogan “If you love God Burn a Church”.
- The words ” half of life is fucking up” on a green Wicked Campers vehicle
- “Written in cartoon character and very colourful, and attractive to my 8 and 5 year old, was an image of an Egg (human like) having sex, doggy style with a chicken. The eggs facial expressions and The chickens head was back as if it was having sex. Below it clearly said, what COMES first the chicken or the egg?”
- The text on the back of the van reads, “…In every princess there is a little slut who wants to try it just once…”
- “Save a lollypop – Suck a Dick”
- “A king runs a kingdom. Who runs a country?”
- “An image of Hitler and the statement ‘Yes we can’.”
- ‘Fucking Toasted” Written large. Picture of stoned toaster other stoned referencing on the back
- “A blowjob a day beats an apple”
- Bold statement across the side of the bright yellow vehicle: ” I ate so much pussy in those days, my beard looked like a glazed donut” plus a large photo of a man and his name.
- “Camouflage condoms: she’ll never see you cumming”
- “It’s better to be black than gay cos you don’t have to tell your parents.”
- “If God was a woman would sperm taste like chocolate?”
- Spray painted on to the rear of the van were the words “your thighs won’t touch if my head’s in between them…”
- The cartoon depicted two cockatoos talking to one another in “speech bubbles”. The smaller cockatoo said: “Grandpa, do you & Grandma still have sex?” – to which the larger cockatoo replied: “Just oral. I say “Fuck you’. She says “Fuck you too’.”
- “”ATTENTION THIEVES. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. GOD IS WATCHING. YOU THIEVING CUNT”
- The mural on the side of this camper van depicted the cookie monster holding a gun into the back of his own mouth, with the words ‘bad trip’ painted alongside this image.
- “I take my women like I take my bars – liquor in the front, poker in the rear”
- “This one didn’t make much sense but had the face of a man with the slogan “You’re F#ckin’ Out! I’m F#ckin’ In!” on the right hand side of van. Pro drugs slogan at the back.”
- “Chuck Norris only masturbates with pictures of Chuck Norris”
- “Fuck Google Ask Me”
- “She can’t wrestle but you should see her box”
- “Anything is a dildo if you’re brave enough”
- “Scooby and Shaggy (kids cartoon characters) were clearly high and holding a smoking bong.”
- “The car has sign writing: “I ate so much pussy in those days my beard looked like a glazed donut”.”
- “Women fake orgasm because they think men care”
- “On the side of the van was a picture of a farmer approaching his sheep for sex and saying “Come to Deddy”. One of the sheep says to another, “It’s not the constant sex I object to, it’s the bloody accent.”
- “Women are like banks – once you withdraw you loose interest”
- “PUT THIS ON YOUR LIST OF THINGS TO DO. A ROAD TRIP IN A WICKED CAMPER. WHY? 1. Fit into the Aussie culture. 2. Meet shitloads of people. 3. Guaranteed lowest price (boring but important). 1800 246 869.
“Other reasons: Waking up at the beach having uninterrupted sex every morning, all night parties, loads of room for goon bags, get pissed on by a koala, box a kangaroo, kill your dinner with a boomerang, eat roadkill, free fuel (siphon hose not included), massages with happy endings, free camping at Wolf Creek, romantic alfresco dining, deep and meaningful conversations, snog an aboriginal, score a speeding ticket you never have to pay….plus you can get shit-faced all the time
while never missing a sunset!” - “Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful and natural experiences money can buy”. On both sides of the van are large images of stuffed toys (a dog and a teddy) in various positions that have sexual connotations.
- “I NEVER THINK ABOUT GAY SEX….LIKE FUCK”
- The Kangaroos each have a speech bubble. The male Kangaroo is depicted as saying “Do you like it in your AVIS?” The female is depicted as saying “Yes, but it really HERTZ!”
- “The side of a Wicked camper van with a picture of two comic style people on top of each other and then a detailed explanation of the position. “This position requires good leg strength from the woman. By rotating her hips a little she will find the extra sport worthwhile. Also an excellent posture for those self conscious of the faces they make during sex”.
- “Save a whale – harpoon a Jap”
- “The comments on this transport advertisement read, in Japanese ‘Lick my Cunt’.”
- “couple copulating drawn on vehicle roof”
- “FUCK on sides & rear of vehicle”
- “Lawyers come from anal intercourse”
- “The best thing about oral sex – 5 minutes of silence”
- “When life is treating me bad, I just remember I’ve got a really big cock”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
Linkedin
who books this crap? you’d have to be an A-grade imbecile to actually ride around in one of these things
User ID not verified.
For who they are trying to target, this is great advertising (both format and creative) so why would they stop? It’s clear the ASB has no power to really enforce wicked to stop and every time they get complaints they are rewarded with free publicity!
User ID not verified.
These guys clearly have no concept of the implications their continued breaches will have for the future of industry self-regulation. Enough negative media attention will inevitably showcase the toothlessness of the ASB to the general public, and force the government’s hand. Legislation here we come!
User ID not verified.
The ASB needs a kick in the B…s if they had any,no social conscience. This stuff belongs to stag parties brain dead Jobbos and down the toilet.
User ID not verified.
This needs immediate action. It’s vile, vulgar and degrading to women and decent men and children should not be exposed to such vulgarity. How it’s existed as being ok for so long is unbelievable. It needs the government to act NOW. No excuses!! It should never been allowed to get to this.
User ID not verified.
This is just fucking disgusting. People really need to grow up.
User ID not verified.
Nobody gives a shit. Wicked ads are hilarious. Voluntary regulators are useless. Ad industry needs proper regulation anyway.
User ID not verified.
Am I the only one that couldn’t stop laughing at those complaints?
User ID not verified.