Wicked Campers van reprimanded for ‘insensitive’ sexual innuendo between girl and judge
Infamous car rental company Wicked Campers has had one of its ads banned yet again for using an “insensitive” and “inappropriate” slogan, “Girl sits on judges lap and gets a honorable [sic] discharge”.
Ad Standards said despite there being no accompanying image on the van, the tagline used was a sexual connotation and suggested a power imbalance between a judge and a girl.
Another Wicked Campers van
A complaint posting to Ad Standards said: “This sort of stuff alludes to and trivialises sexual assault in a very insensitive way – after all, the judge, like Weinstein, has all of the power, and this joke makes light of the fact that such power is used for sexual gratification, likely at someone else’s expense.
“I can’t really see why or how a car hire company would find this to be a good joke.”
The board agreed with the complaint concluding the word ‘girl’ referred to a young woman or female child and the term ‘judge’ alludes to an older, usually male, authority figure.
“The suggestion of a girl sitting on a male judge’s lap resulting in ‘discharge’ was a sexual connotation that was inappropriate,” the Board said upholding the complaint.
Wicked Campers did not provide a response to the ruling but Ad Standards said it would continue to work with relevant authorities regarding the ongoing issue of non-compliance.
Tasmania, ACT and Queensland have now already passed laws to deregister Wicked Vans if the company does not abide by ASB rulings.
In March, Wicked Campers had its 79th ad banned.
Wicked Campers has had its vans banned for “highly sexualised language“, making light of being a drug dealer and breaking the law, using inappropriate language and glamorising drug use.
The advertiser was also the first to reach 100 watchdog rulings back in March last year with over 70 of those rulings being banned.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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Wicked are just sad.
I live in a huge backpacker area, and thankfully most backpackers now use Jucy vans, which have completely taken over the market.
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