Nissan has rejected claims sent to the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) which argue the latest Navara car ad encourages violence towards animals and mistreatment of the environment.
The ad, which sees a father and son traversing through the countryside alongside a migrating herd of wildebeests, is part of a larger campaign for the Navara ute.
Complaints of the ad criticise Nissan's endorsement of animal cruelty and claim it glorifies erratic driving, calling it “real stupid” and an “immature organisation”.
One complaint says: “A large herd of cattle are being harassed by a driver with a young boy. The middle aged driver and the child are grinning at the fact they are scaring the animals.”
“As a nation we are trying to preserve wildlife so our kids can enjoy the ever dwindling species in ever dwindling spaces. Why would Nissan think that ripping through wildlife and stirring them up completely unnecessarily, teach the young kid in the car to act responsibly toward nature in his future.”
In response, the Nissan defended the campaign saying that the advertisement “depicts a fantastical scene” and used wildebeests as they are a “powerful animal that undertakes one of world’s longest migrations; epitomising endurance”.
As well as this, Nissan refuted claims the wildebeests were being tormented in the ad, given that all animals were computer generated.
The ASB dismissed claims the driver purposefully attempted to “chase the animals or deliberately try and scare them away”.
The ASB says: “The father and son move with the animals in the same direction and look with awe at how impressive they are as they continue on their path through the country side.”
“The board considered that the overall depiction of the vehicle being driven among the wildebeest was not one of cruelty.”
Watch the ad here:
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