Complaint about Wicked Campers 'Kill or be killed' tagline upheld by Advertising Standards Authority

Wicked Campers has come under fire dozens of times in past years for painting offensive slogans on its vans. Photo / File

The advertising watchdog has upheld yet another complaint over a Wicked Campers slogan, slamming "Kill or be killed" for promoting "violent behaviour".

It appeared in Acartoon on a Wicked Camper van showed a woman holding a gun next to a skeleton. The complainant said the slogan promoted an irresponsible message, particularly in light of recent gun violence, and the Advertising Standards Authority upheld the complaint.

This was the 14th complaint against the company upheld since 2015.

The complaints board agreed the image of the gun, in combination with the slogan "Kill or be Killed", suggested violence and breached three rules in the Code of Ethics.

"It had not been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society and was likely to cause serious or widespread offence."

Wicked Campers did not respond to the complaint, despite the authority contacting the company.

The complaints board expressed disappointment over Wicked Campers' continuous "refusal to engage with and respect the principles of self-regulation", the ASA decision read.

It also noted the difficulty around considering justification for the slogan, because of the company's lack of response.

Wicked Campers is owned by John Webb, a Queensland mechanic who started the company more than a decade ago.

Last year campgrounds including Abel Tasman's Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp and Piha Domain Camp turned away Wicked Campers because of their offensive slogans.

Wicked was last year dumped from the Department of Conservation's tourist information listing for those wanting to hire campervans.