Wicked Campers still refusing to engage with advertising complaints

Wicked Campers is refusing to engage with Advertising Standards Authority complaints; ignoring at least 11 complaints against it in a year. Photo/File

Wicked Campers is still refusing to engage with complaints about its advertising.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld another complaint about the campervan hire company in April, the 11th it's received in the past year.

The body again expressed concern that the owner of Wicked Campers, John Webb, appeared to have no interest in self-regulation and continually failed to respond to numerous complaints.

In the latest complaint against Webb's company in New Zealand, the phrase "I'd rather be dead than cool" featured next to a drawing of Mr T from the A-Team TV show.

The phrase is a lyric in the Nirvana song Stay Away.

The complainant said this was offensive to those who had lost loved ones.

The ASA Complaints Board considered the advertisement in light of concerns about the youth suicide rate in New Zealand and the lack of context with the wording on the back of the van.

A minority of the Complaints Board said the complaint should not be upheld, as the quote was similar to common expressions such as "Over my dead body" and it did not meet the threshold to cause serious or widespread offence.

The majority said the quote on the back of the van, without context, was likely to cause serious or widespread offence and could be seen to trivialise death using the uncontrolled medium of vehicle signage.

They also noted as Wicked had chosen not to present a response in defence of the
advertising, it was difficult to consider justification for it.

Some of the most offensive slogans included: "In every princess there is a little slut who wants to try it just once"; "Fat chicks are harder to kidnap"; "A man would be interested in a woman's mind if it bounced gently as she walked"; "Up the bum. No babies!"; and "I've often wanted to drown my troubles, but I can't get my wife to go swimming."

In February, a complaint against a van with the slogan "God is watching you thieving ***t" was also upheld by the ASA.

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 due to their offensive slogans.

Wicked was also dumped from the Department of Conservation's tourist information listing for those wanting to hire campervans, and three Government ministers - then-Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett, then-Minister for Women Louise Upston and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry - joined forces to find ways to stop Wicked Campers from parading offensive slogans on the vans rented to tourists.