The irony is strong in this one.
In Australia (and most parts of the world), there are certain standards or rules when it comes to commercials, especially in automotive products. Some scenes aren’t really allowed on T.V., such as a jumping pickup truck over a broken terrain, or an uphill climb facing huge rocks that roll downhill. While those scenes may look fun and exciting, they depict dangerous stunts, which could get picked up by the viewers.
Volkswagen tried to make fun of these banned scenes with its latest advertisement for the Amarok pickup truck. As it turned out, the ad was really “too powerful for TV,” as it got banned from the airwaves by Australia’s Ad Standards. Oh, the irony.
While the not-safe-for-TV scenes were wittily depicted using miniature models, Mumbrella reported that Australian Ad Standards deemed the commercial unsafe for showing “driving which is reckless and would breach road rules.”
The scenes that the advertising board was talking about were the part where the Amarok tried to overtake road trains. The other one was when the V6 diesel-powered pickup truck tried to go off-road to overtake the trucks that blocked the path. These driving practices, albeit depicted using animated storyboards, are naturally against Australia’s motoring laws.
“Although the advertisement had fantastical elements, the depiction of the vehicle starting to overtake the road trains was a realistic scenario that would constitute unsafe and reckless driving. Further, the depiction of the driver choosing to leave the road and overtake both trucks on the shoulder of the road depicts driving which is reckless and would breach road rules,” the advertising board said.
VW has pulled the 60-second commercial shown above and will modify it to coincide with Australia’s ad standards. The new commercial will be aired by November 5.
Source: Mumbrella via CarAdvice
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