By Julian Lee Marketing Reporter
A CAR manufacturer's pitch to the "next generation" of drivers has fallen foul of the advertising watchdog, which has ruled that a TV commercial depicting a nappy-clad baby behind the wheel of a four-wheel drive breached industry guidelines.
The Advertising Standards Board ordered Hyundai to pull the advertisement for its Santa Fe model on Tuesday after it ruled that it depicted under-age driving and promoted unlawful behaviour.
It also ruled that the wearing of seatbelts instead of approved child restraints was a matter of safety and should be discouraged in ads.
The ad shows a toddler picking up a little girl and driving to the beach for a surf. It has been on air for less than a month. In its defence Hyundai said the ad was clearly based in fantasy and that the car was never shown being driven in an unsafe or irresponsible manner.
The board's chief executive, Mark Jeanes, disagreed. "We certainly acknowledged that the notion of a toddler driving a car was unrealistic and fanciful, but the code says fantasy cannot be used when it contradicts, circumvents or undermines the code."
All advertising codes must comply with federal laws.
The ad attracted 80 complaints, many from parents concerned it might encourage copy-cat behaviour in children. Hyundai cited research showing the public had responded well to the ad.
But the company said it had no choice but to ditch it. In its final response to the board Hyundai wrote: "Due to the central idea in the ad that drivers of the next generation Santa Fe are next generation-minded people themselves, it's not possible to amend the campaign without losing this idea."
Yesterday Hyundai's public relations manager, Richard Power, said he was surprised at the decision, given that the ad ran in New Zealand last year without encountering any problems.
He said the cost would not be large as the company was "piggybacking" on an ad that was already made in New Zealand and had needed only a few tweaks before it made its debut in Australia at the end of last month.
"I guess from now on we are going to have to look at more conventional - and less entertaining - options to market it [the car]," Mr Power said.