For the second time in a year, retail giant Supercheap Auto has been forced to change its annual stunt-filled ‘Best Performing Oils’ ad campaign due to a complaint.
In July, Supercheap Auto released the eight-minute ‘Lake Redline Holiday Park’ video on YouTube, depicting dozens of Australian motorsport and automotive icons fighting for a spot at a fictional caravan park.
Like many Best Performing Oil ad campaigns before it, the video features dedicated race cars performing jumps, drifts and stunts in a race to arrive at the final location before each other.
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However, a shortened version of the ad for free-to-air and pay TV was soon the subject of a formal complaint to Ad Standards – Australia’s advertising watchdog.
The unnamed complainant’s submission reads:
“The ad clearly shows cars doing burnouts on a bitumen road that is not obviously off road or in a public area. It shows burnouts with trailers, caravans in tow, off country roads and among people, around people in tents and caravans.
“The ad appears to be in breach of standards – again – for this company.”
The ‘again’ is a reference to the previous year’s Best Performing Oils ad, which in October was found to have breached the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics due to a scene in which a drift car slid around a pedestrian who passed an apple to the driver through its side window.
Image credit: Supercheap Auto/Richard Gresham
In its response to the complaint, Supercheap Auto said it had received classification and pre-approval to run the video across all mediums from Clear Ads – an advertising code of practice specialist.
“As an automotive parts retailer, long-time supporter of responsible motorsport and ongoing Charity Partner of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, Supercheap Auto takes auto safety very seriously,” the retail company’s reply reads.
“The oil companies represented in the advertisement also have long standing affiliations with on-track motorsport. Before any advertisement goes to air in Australia it must receive a suitable classification.
“Prior to making this advertisement, we sought and received classification and pre-approval, for both Australia and New Zealand, from CAD (Clear Ads) via the pre-approval process. CAD is an independent body responsible for classifying advertisements and ensuring they adhere to the rules and regulations governing all advertisements.
“The vehicles used in the advertisement are clearly professional race cars with race-car liveries, no number plates, and highly controlled safety measures, such as roll cages. This is reinforced by Supercheap Auto and the oil companies’ long-standing sponsorship of on-track racing cars.
Image credit: Supercheap Auto/Richard Gresham
“They are not road-legal vehicles and are clearly intended for racetracks, not public roads. The fact that these race cars appear to be driving in a privately-owned car-racing themed holiday park helps establish that the holiday park – and the whole concept – is a highly fictionalised environment created purely for this television commercial and is not reflective of the real world.
“This is further reinforced by the fact that the vehicles are towing boats and caravans, and have roof racks with holiday equipment. This is obviously a nonsensical, comedic thing for high-performance race vehicles to do.”
Supercheap Auto also made reference to the publication of behind the scenes content online which featured interviews with the stunt drivers, stunt coordinators and the onset safety supervisor who explained how the on-screen tricks are pulled off safely.
“When filming the advertisement, all the driving took place in a highly controlled environment that was privately-owned and closed-off to the public. Additionally, we had security to ensure visibility to the public was minimal.
“The action in the advertisement has been highly overdramatised to further ensure that the commercial reflects a fictitious scenario. We have also used music and humour to reinforce that this is a highly stylised ‘made-for-tv’ environment not an everyday scenario that can be replicated in the real world.”
Image credit: Supercheap Auto/Richard Gresham
However, Ad Standards didn’t see it the same way, finding the TV ad breached Section 2.6 of the Code of Ethics – ‘Advertising shall not depict material contrary to Prevailing Community Standards on health and safety.’
“Images of unsafe driving, bike riding without helmets or not wearing a seatbelt while driving a motor vehicle are likely to be contrary to prevailing community standards relating to health and safety irrespective of whether such depictions are for the product/service being advertised or are incidental to the product.
“Advertisements which feature exaggerated or fantastical elements, which are unlikely to be seen as realistic by the relevant audience, are unlikely to be found to be encouraging or condoning unsafe behaviour.”
While the advertising watchdog noted the ad was highly fictionalised and didn’t reflect real-world events, its realistic setting of a holiday park – in this case a dressed-up version of Lakeside Park raceway in north Brisbane – was enough to be considered realistic.
“The Panel noted that many of the stunts in the advertisement were performed near pedestrians with no safety gear or protection,” Ad Standards said in its findings.
Image credit: Supercheap Auto/Richard Gresham
“The Panel considered that the driving behaviour depicted in the advertisement was very dangerous and if it were to take place in a real holiday park could well result in injury or death.
“The Panel considered that the advertisement condoned and encouraged such driving behaviour and could lead to people attempting to copy the behaviour. The Panel considered that a disclaimer was not enough to mitigate this effect.
“The Panel considered that depicting, condoning, and encouraging unsafe driving was against prevailing community standards on health and safety, and that the advertisement did so.”
Supercheap Auto responded by saying it will update the TV ads by September 5, 2024.
CarExpert understands Supercheap Auto’s edited video will directly address the complaints.
The online material including the full eight-minute video on YouTube will remain unchanged.
