But however childish it may be, we do seem have a predilection for funny sounding foreign accents; I remember interviewing the comedy duo Those Indian Guys many years ago and they both told me they continually got uproarious laughter for the most average of gags, so long as it was delivered with an Indian accent.
Kiwi audiences simply found it humorous. Mind you, our kay-way accent can also be a source of humour and ridicule in other parts of the world too.
The second ad on the list was NZTA's If Stoned: Don't Drive campaign. Despite its overtly realistic portrayal of driving under the influence, fifteen people complained about the depiction of the protagonist toking on an bong before getting behind the wheel, crashing his car and ending up with milkshake munchies splattered all over his face. Presumably the complainants are similarly offended when ads show people drinking alcohol before driving towards some impending disaster.
Ten complaints were levelled at a Parallel Imports ad which suggested people buy a new Samsung phone and a drone so they can spy on their neighbours, while a similar number of people felt compelled to alert authorities to their objection over DB Breweries' advert for Old Mout Cider. The objectors felt the ad was transphobic and implied transgender people were deceptive if they didn't stick to their birth name. DB ended up apologising and withdrawing the ad.
Stuck in the middle of the top five most complained about ads on our screens last year was Greenpeace's: What's Polluting our Rivers? The answer, according to Greenpeace, is dairy farming. And this is what raised the ire of dairy farmers, prompting fourteen complaints from those who felt the ad was unfair and put too much blame on dairy farmers for the pollution of New Zealand's rivers.
From what we know of this issue, it's too simplistic to lay the blame solely at the feet of the dairy industry, but equally, the sector itself acknowledges a less than glorious environmental history and is at pains to point out the progress they've made in this area. And this, from what I understand, is the key reason for the gripe.
From the point of view of dairy, there has been a significant effort to clean up its act, and thereby our waterways. For example, a recent DairyNZ report reveals more than 97% of the country's dairy cattle are now fenced off from waterways on farms. There are a number of other initiatives in place as well, all of which cost time and money.
And yet it seems for many of these people that despite their efforts they'll never convince certain sectors they're doing everything they can to create a sustainable method of dairy farming, with those sectors arguing there is no such thing.
The pertinent response would be to adopt a more patient approach (although I don't think fourteen complaints can be constituted as an overreaction from irate dairy farmers!) and play the long game.
To paraphrase some appalling rugby jargon, stick to the processes and the outcome will take care of itself. In the end time will tell whether the industry is sustainable and, if it is indeed heading down the right track, it will take a lot more than a television commercial to stop it.
