Portage Cars in New Lynn have gone viral on TikTok using comedy to sell cars. The advert mentioned in the ASA decision does not feature in this video which was filmed by NZME last year. Video / NZ Herald
A car yard that ran a comedic advertising campaign loaded with sexual references has been ordered to take one of the offending videos down.
“You’ll look like a MILF driving it” was one phrase used by Portage Cars as the sales pitch for a plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander. The ad also noted it had a “plug which matches the inserting action you’ve been getting”.
One viewer took exception to the bold marketing strategy and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the advert containing sexual innuendos that were inappropriate for a general audience.
However, it wasn’t the sexual references that saw the authority order the advert be removed but a claim in the same video that stated Portage Cars had “the easiest finance in the world.”
In recent years the company has built up a bit of a reputation for its brutally honest and comedic marketing strategy in an attempt to set itself apart from the competition.
It employed Kiedis Haze to be the frontman of these videos, a popular content producer on Instagram and TikTok who makes satirical reviews of various vehicles.
“It’s all about making it fun and friendly,” Haze told NZME last year in an interview about his videos in general.
Kiedis Haze was employed by Portage Cars to breathe life into its marketing. Photo / Jed Bradley.
“Keeping it honest and authentic has seen the videos get a lot of respect.”
In its submissions to the authority, Portage Cars said the video was a funny car review intended to generate social media and brand awareness.
They said its other similar content had received favourable reviews and the light-hearted humour had been shared across other platforms.
The company also claimed the videos do not refer to finance repayments or mention any finance companies. The statement “easiest finance in the world” was said in jest and the claim is a common turn of phrase in New Zealand.
Portage Cars general manager, Craig Rutherford, told NZME that the authority’s ruling was a good test case for what they can and can’t say in their marketing.
“We look at those videos as more of a review than an advertisement because we keep the details pretty minimal,” he said.
He said in terms of advertising finance Portage steers clear of it now as the rules were quite strict.
However, the ruling hasn’t deterred it from using sexual innuendo to sell cars.
“They’re working,” Rutherford said, “If we’ve had a vehicle in stock for awhile we’ll do a review on it and it will sell pretty much straight away.”
“We’ve got customers asking where ... (Haze) is all the time.”
Haze told NZME this week he’d heard nothing but good things about his reviews with Portage Cars until the ASA complaint came through.
“To be fair I think I improvised the easiest finance bit and that turned out to be a bit of a stretch,” he said.
The authority concluded that the average consumer would view the advertisement as a lighthearted review of a family vehicle which promoted its various features.
“The Complaints Board agreed the advertisement had not met the threshold to cause serious or widespread offence,” its decision reads.
“For those following the brand, the nature of the humour used would be well understood.”
The authority said it had only received one complaint about the advertisement and overall the viewer feedback on social media was positive.
“… although the humour in the advertisement was risqué and would not appeal to all viewers, the Board said it was mostly acronyms and innuendo and was unlikely to cause serious offence to the intended audience.”
However, the authority found that the claim “easiest finance in the world” in the advertisement was an unsubstantiated claim and that exaggeration in financial advertisements was not permitted under the code.
Overall they ruled that the sexual references were not in breach but the financial statements were and ordered the advert be removed and not used again in its current form.
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
