An investigation into a television advertisement for the new-generation Toyota HiLux ute has found the automaker in breach of multiple advertising standards codes, meaning it will have to be updated or pulled from air entirely.
The HiLux ad, named ‘The Pied Piper’, depicts a large number of dogs chasing a red HiLux Rogue down a dirt road and into a town, with the animals jumping into the ute’s tray, unrestrained, comically overloading the vehicle.
“Complaints were received on the grounds that the ad depicts dangerous and potentially illegal behaviour,” said the Case Report from the Ad Standards Community Panel.
“Dogs are meant to be tethered or otherwise safely transported to ensure safety while travelling. Some of the complainants noted that there are exceptions for muster dogs, but the ad does not reflect best practice or community standards on transporting dogs.”
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Three issues were raised by the Ad Standards Community Panel:
- Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) Motor Vehicle Advertising Code 2(c) – Driving practices
- Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics 2.3 – Violence
- AANA Code of Ethics 2.6 – Health and Safety
In response, Toyota Australia said: “In the hero film, dozens of dogs – the ultimate symbol of loyalty – abandon their owners’ utes and leap into the tray of the new HiLux in a playful demonstration of the loyalty HiLux inspires.
“In the story, the driver isn’t aware of dogs accumulating in the tray of the vehicle until they are revealed at the end. His reaction is nonchalant, as though this happens often as a HiLux owner. The tone of the film is light-hearted and deliberately exaggerated.”
The automaker explained the dogs used in the commercial were trained, were not harmed, and that many of the moving sequences used static props and computer-generated imagery (CGI) instead of live animals.
It also said that “at no time were live dogs filmed unsecured in the back of a moving vehicle on sealed public roads”.
The Ad Standards Community Panel found the television ad breached two of the three cited codes.
It said the advertisement breached the FCAI Motor Vehicle Advertising Code, which prohibits the depiction of illegal driving behaviour, including breaking road rules.
A second breach of the AANA Code of Ethics – which states advertising material must not depict content contrary to prevailing community standards on health and safety – was also upheld.
However, the panel found the ad didn’t breach the AANA Code of Ethics relating to violence towards animals.
The panel’s determination concluded: “Toyota will modify the advertisement.”
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