It comes after the New Zealand brewery reintroduced its controversial billboards after nearly a decade last year.
They were first introduced in 1997 and featured a simple black, white, and orange design, with a topical one-liner that ranged from provocative to playful. On the right was the “yeah right” response that became the brand’s catchphrase.
The new advert – posted to Facebook last week – reads: “Surely she wouldn’t shoplift again. Yeah right.”
The advert was posted to social media last week after the Herald revealed police were investigating an incident believed to be involving Golriz Ghahraman. Photo / Tui
One Facebook user slammed the recent advert calling it “punching down”.
“This is one of the world’s biggest beer companies joking about a young woman in trouble, in the hope of selling more beer. It’s called punching down and it sucks,” the person said.
Others have welcomed the advert, commenting “love it” and “gold”.
Ghahraman did not wish to comment on the advert when contacted by the Herald.
DB Breweries senior marketing manager Cormac van den Hoofdakker said the aim of the Tui yeah right campaign is “to be the irreverent voice of the nation”.
“Tui reckons the world has become a bit too serious lately, and believes it has an important role to play in helping Kiwis to not take life too seriously,” van den Hoofdakker told the Herald.
“The yeah right revival aims to bring back the lost tradition of having a bit of a laugh – at ourselves, current affairs, public fumbles, or anything really. Tui isn’t afraid to say what we’ve all been thinking.”
He said the ad in question was on social media only and DB Breweries had not received any direct complaints about it.
Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang told the Herald the ad was “below the belt” and “in bad taste”.
Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang said the ad is in poor taste and is likely to receive many complaints.
“While humour in advertising is important and can be effective, this particular online ad is in poor taste and is likely to receive many complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority,” Lang said.
“Commenting on individuals in a negative way, particularly when they have a history of mental health problems show poor judgment by the brand.
“The online ad is likely to offend many people. No doubt some consumers may find this entertaining, even witty, but many will see this as going a step too far because it is about an individual in a compromised position.”
A spokesperson for the Advertising Standards Authority said that as of 11am today, it had not received any complaints regarding the Tui advertisement.
“The ASA does not comment on specific advertisements prior to a decision being released by the Complaints Board (if complaints are received).”
The Herald first reported on Wednesday last week that a police investigation was under way into an incident involving Ghahraman, understood to have allegedly occurred at a Pak’nSave supermarket in Auckland’s Royal Oak in late 2024.
A source told the Herald that when the former MP was in the Royal Oak supermarket her manner of shopping, in particular the way she was carrying items, aroused the suspicion of store security officers monitoring shoppers.
Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman appears in the Auckland District Court after pleading guilty to shoplifting charges last year. Photo / Dean Purcell
The Herald understands that as she approached the checkout she was stopped by store security who asked her to empty out all the bags she was carrying.
When she took the grocery items out of her bags she purportedly told staff she had every intention to pay for them.
The shopping trip at the centre of the latest shoplifting allegations was captured on in-store security footage.
Ghahraman’s lawyer did not deny the initial allegations last Wednesday. The lawyer warned against reporting of the incident or the former MP’s name in order to “protect [the individual’s] trial rights and remedies if any charge was to be presented”.
She was convicted for the theft of more than $7800 worth of clothing during two trips to Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby in the week before Christmas in 2023.
She also stole $695 worth of clothing from Cre8tiveworx in Wellington in October and a $389 cardigan from Standard Issue in Newmarket during the same three-day period when she targeted the Ponsonby store.
