Banking on a new look

Noxious weeds are absent from John Banks' new billboard. Photo / Herald on Sunday

John Banks has unveiled his latest campaign billboard and says ditching his previous model has nothing to do with copping flak.

Less Wishbone. More Backbone, with a bold smiling head shot of the Supercity hopeful is the message Banks is now sending to Aucklanders.

Gone are the billboards which were illustrated with the noxious weed pampas grass and an open armed Banks.

Marketing experts criticised those billboards, saying Banks' pose made him look indecisive.

On Friday, Banks denied he had changed the billboard because of the marketing comments.

"No, I didn't," he said.

Banks also said the article and photo in the Herald on Sunday showing the pampas grass was trivial. "It was a silly article and I'm into politics of substance," he said.

Other supermayoral hopefuls have looked kindly on Banks' oversight.

One of Banks' main rivals, North Shore mayor Andrew Williams, said the billboard with the pampas grass was probably a mistake.

"I think it was more an innocent mistake on the part of whoever positioned him for the photo," he said.

"These things happen in campaigns. I make mistakes all the time. We're all human."