Complaints about Asian taxi driver ad not upheld

Complaints about an advertisement that features an Asian taxi driver have not been upheld. Photo / iStock

Complaints about an advertisement that features an Asian taxi driver called Edward giving advice on how to get discounts for fuel have not been upheld.

The New Zealand Chinese Association and others complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about AA Smartfuel television, radio and online advertisement, saying it was discriminating and racist.

The ad features a man called Edward who is a taxi driver and uses the AA Smartfuel card to get discounts on petrol.

The New Zealand Chinese Association said Edward was depicted as an Asian man in New Zealand who cannot speak 'proper' English and was in a low-skilled occupation.

"As a result, this advertisement is likely to contribute to discriminatory attitudes towards Asian people," the complaint said.

The ASA Complaints Board was of the view that the ads used Edward to promote the benefits of the fuel card in "a light-hearted and humorous way".

The board said they thought Edward was "extremely likable, enterprising and savvy".

AA Smartfuel responded to the complaint by saying the character Edward is in fact Auckland Korean restaurant owner Pyungwoo Kim and not an actor.

Mr Kim has lived in New Zealand for a number of years and uses his real voice and accent in the advertisement. He was featured in the campaign after one of the film crew dined at his restaurant, struck up a conversation with him. and thought he would be a charming and likeable character.

The board took into consideration their ruling on the 30 Second Spray and Walk Away advertisements when coming to their conclusion.

The board acknowledged the offence caused to the complainants but did not uphold the complaints.