A local Nissan Pulsar television commercial has been banned twice in two months by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) for depicting unsafe driving.
Spruiking the new Nissan Pulsar SSS, the ad shows a man driving through the streets as his seemingly pregnant wife is in the passenger seat appearing to be in labor. When the couple arrives at a hospital, the man looks at his watch and proclaims a "personal best", then the woman lifts her jumper to reveal a pillow playing the part of the baby bump.
Reported by Mumbrella, the ASB investigated the ad following complaints that is displayed dangerous and illegal behaviour and promoted unsafe driving.
In June, the ad was first deemed to breach clause 2(a) of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) Advertising for Motor Vehicles Voluntary Code of Practice that states: "Advertisements for motor vehicles do not portray … unsafe driving, including reckless or menacing driving that would breach any Commonwealth law or the law of any State or Territory in the relevant jurisdiction in which the advertisement is published or broadcast."
While Nissan "respectfully" maintained that the TVC did not breach the clause, it did, in "good faith", modify the ad by lowering engine noise volume, adding a 'Filmed under controlled conditions' clause and removing tyre squeal as well as the words 'quick' and 'go' from the dialogue.
The re-edited ad screened but again received criticism for promoting irresponsible driving and unjustified hooning.
The ASB again investigated and determined that the ad still depicted unsafe driving and was in breach of the code.
Nissan responded by saying it respectfully maintained that the modified TVC did not breach clause 2(a) of the FCAI Code, however, in order to address the comments made by the ASB, it would make further modifications to the ad.
These included the removal of the words "10.24. Personal best" from the voiceover, several driving shots, revving sounds and a stopwatch beep sound as well as several other changes aimed at slowing down the driving footage. The newly modified ad has been released online.
In response to television ads from Volvo and Suzuki being banned by the ASB in 2012, the Australian government launched an inquiry into vehicle advertising in May that year. The six-month inquiry by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport was aimed at examining the effectiveness of the current voluntary code on vehicle advertising in Australia.
