Profound commentary on modern culture. Yeah right

By REBECCA QUILIAM

The distinctive black and orange Tui billboards dotted along the nation's roads have amused or outraged travellers since their inception in 1997.

The satirical advertisements for Tui beer are written with tongues firmly in cheeks, with controversial statements such as, "It's not a cult it's a church" followed by an ironic "Yeah right".

The advertiser, DB Breweries, defended its sarcastic boards in a recent Advertising Standards Authority report, insisting the messages were generally hard-case, intelligent and irreverent, drawing on topical issues in the public eye.

They were certainly irreverent, and quick off the mark after Paul Holmes quit his television show.

Billboards in Wellington and Auckland only 36 hours after his sudden departure, said, "We'll miss the cheeky whitey. Yeah right."

With the catchiest advertising campaign since Toyota's "Bugger" ad, Tui's brand manager, Nick Rogers, has every reason to feel pleased - "the brand's flying".

He attributes the "Yeah right" campaign success to its simplicity.

"It's a simple message, a laugh. It puts a smile on people's faces."

The billboards "are cynical in a humorous way, looking at things from a slightly different angle", Mr Rogers said.

"I would say they were cynical, but I wouldn't say they were negative.

"We've got a unique sense of humour and people like to laugh, at the end of the day."

Mr Rogers takes his job of helping people to smile very seriously.

"It's up to me to keep everybody entertained and amused. I've got the best job in the whole darn world."

Tui is now asking the public for ideas for slogans through a website competition.

So far one slogan from the contest, which attracts about 40 entries a day, has been chosen for billboard display.

Rules for entering say: "The slogan has to be within the boys' world; must be topical, beer-related or just bloody funny; no more than eight words; and must not be overtly sexual, racist or rude".

Mr Rogers said most ideas submitted by the public were not appropriate for public viewing - "they're usually a little bit crass".

Among winning entries: "Those poor tobacco companies", "Could you pass the wine list?" and "I saw a great reality TV show last night". All followed by the trademark "Yeah right".

Tui has had complaints against the billboards upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority, most recently about the one that said "There's nothing wrong with Miriam. Yeah right".

The advertisement drew its inspiration from a reality television show, where six unsuspecting English lads competed for the affections of a beautiful Latino woman called Miriam - who turned out to be a transsexual.

The Advertising Standards Complaints Board ruled the billboard was seriously offensive, ridiculed transgendered people and contradicted basic human rights.

Executive director Glen Wiggs said the board received complaints about the billboards regularly but few were upheld.

"They try to be humorous and sometimes they are very, very humorous and the board tries to take that into account."

He said a general rule was that if something was genuinely funny advertisers could get away with a lot more.

"'Bugger' is a good example. No one in their right minds could ever take it seriously."

Mr Wiggs said problems started when people tried to be funny but weren't.

Mr Rogers said taking complaints about the edgy billboard signs was part of the job.

"I get a complaint every month from someone. I take it on my chin, and it's nice to know we are hitting the mark."

Tui's billboards are proving popular in the most unlikely areas.

A church in New Plymouth erected a board designed with Tui's black and orange design, advertising revival meetings on Sundays.

Tui responded by erecting a billboard saying "See you at Revival on Sunday. Yeah right."

This year, DB was embarrassed by a joke picture of a Tui billboard.

The picture showed a Tui beer billboard ridiculing the Maori television channel.

The picture had the slogan "I've been watching Maori TV. Yeah right", but the brewery said it was not a real billboard and it did not originate within the company.

As Tui cannot copyright the words "Yeah right" they have been unable to stop the Tui image from being exploited.

"We get a lot of rip-offs of the brand colours and the 'Yeah right', and there's not a lot we can do about that," said Mr Rogers.

The sassy billboards have been taken on board by most New Zealanders as a bit of a laugh and will probably enjoy a long life on roadsides throughout the country.

But in future Tui may take into consideration the growing climate of serious political and social commentary New Zealanders are now looking to for guidance.

They may, indeed, start to provide thought-provoking insights into the economic and environmental surroundings, allowing New Zealand to compete in a world of philosophical utterances. Yeah right.

- NZPA