Watchdog chokes on rental van slogan

Colourful car rental company Wicked Campers has responded to complaints about a vehicle with the words "if you love me you would swallow it" printed on it, saying the firm cannot control the "filthy minds of the general public".

The complaint was made to the Advertising Standards Authority by J. Graham on behalf of 60 staff at a workplace in Hamilton, who argued that the van breached advertising code of ethics rules on social responsibility, decency and offensiveness when parked outside McDonald's where it was seen by children.

The complaint reads: "Our workplace of 150 people overlook this carpark and we received over 60 complaints from staff ... both men and women ... two people felt nauseous."

Wicked Campers told the authority the one-liner did not specify what should be swallowed and the company was "disgraced" that someone had interpreted it that way.

"The first thing that would pop into my mind was feelings ... when you are in a relationship you often have to swallow your feelings such as your annoyance or anger.

"The one-liners on the back of our vans are no different to sayings that you read on T-shirts and they are certainly not as offensive.

"Even if it is interpreted in a rude way, only adults would read it as this."

But the authority agreed that the advertisement breached rules of decency andwas offensive and upheld the complaint.

Meanwhile, a separate complaint which also aired concerns about offence to children failed because the authority did not believe children could interpret its meaning.

A billboard in Victoria St in central Auckland advertising the TV One programme Hung, which is about a man with a large penis, generated complaints alleging it breached good taste and decency.

The ad, which featured a "three-dimensional bulge" covered in white material, drew complaints from B. MacNevin and M. Petrowski, who argued that it was particularly offensive to children and young families.

TVNZ maintained that children would not be able to understand the message and it was in a location primarily viewed by adults.

A minority of the Complaints Board thought the billboard was in "poor taste" with "unnecessary imagery".

But the majority took TVNZ's side, noting that the meaning of the word "hung" would not be apparent to children who saw the ad.