Flak From Filming Up A Storm

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday April 28, 2001

By Peter McKay

There is fallout when car makers overdo their TV commercials, but some critics may take the ads too literally.

A television commercial showing a new Holden Commodore utility doing some spectacular "circle work" and whipping up a storm has run into turbulence of a different kind.

Acting on complaints from viewers, the Advertising Standards Board had to assess whether the ute commercial was contrary to community standards on safety ... or whether the complainants hadn't seen the difference between fantasy and reality.

Holden spokesman John Morrison is bemused by the complaints about the ute commercial. "Most people appreciate commercials can be theatrical and that the footage is sped up to create a visual excitement," he says.

"That's not to say we should be irresponsible but ads are supposed to entertain - and a dull commercial is a waste of money.

"The ute commercial is clearly entertainment with the wheelies creating clouds that bring on rain.

"It's an exaggeration designed to attract attention and get our message across."

Filmed near Quilpie, Qld, on the edge of the Simpson Desert - where temperatures reached 48 degrees during the three days of filming - the Holden commercial drew flak for promoting reckless driving. But the ute does its dusty loops in a paddock on private property before driving through a gate onto a public road.

Not all criticism was related to safety. A meteorologist found fault with doing anti-clockwise circles to create the tornado - in this hemisphere, he said, the car should have driven in the other direction. "Otherwise," he added, "quite an impressive ad."

Robert Koltai from the Advertising Standards Bureau says motor vehicles account for a little under 10 per cent of complaints. Most of the grievances relate to perceived unsafe driving. In a bizarre twist, the Road and Traffic Authority's frequently graphic road safety commercials also attract complaints.

Koltai says that in many cases the performance of a motor car is not expressed any more obviously in advertisements or commercials than, say, the performance of a

hi-fi or computer.

The difference is that cars have romantic appeal to many people and are also capable of hurting and killing. This alarms the critics.

Ford also has daring ads to promote its ute, including one which depicts a Falcon XR8 overtaking a jet-powered land speed record car. Another shows a Falcon ute towing a board rider on salt flats.

"A couple of people have expressed concerns [about giving] the wrong message," said a Ford spokesperson. "But it is obviously tongue in cheek and a bit of fun. The 'It's Unbelievable' tag sums it up perfectly."

Even Volvo, a marque with a strong link to safety, has come under fire. The Pedestrian Council of Australia, jaywalking into automotive issues, slammed the "We have lift off" TV commercial, which promoted the wild side of the Swedish marque. The commercial featured a Volvo being pursued by a police car before becoming airborne. Following objections, it was withdrawn.

And the Staysafe Committee demanded an explanation for a newspaper ad which, it claimed, encouraged people to break the law. The newspaper ad suggested the Volvo 850 T-5R is "a bullet on wheels" which can "power along at 245 km/h".

Conservative Mitsubishi Motors has been obliged to defend some of its commercials.

"The onus is still squarely on the driver to obey the road rules of the land," commented Mitsubishi's Kevin Taylor. "There is never any implied message that drivers should break the law."

Elsewhere, music videos popular with young people new to driving seem to send evocative messages of speed and aggression. A video featuring boy group 'N Sync shows two sports cars racing madly along a clifftop road.

"Speed-glorifying" ads are prominent in the US - not only do they sell cars but much commercial content is also protected by the right of free speech.

Car makers routinely defend ads showing fast driving, pointing to disclaimers informing viewers that the drivers are professionals performing on closed courses.

Safety advocates admit that most drivers would not try to emulate the more outrageous stunts seen in commercials.

© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald

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