In a move that those who often say phrases like "PC gone mad" or "nanny state" would consider inevitable, an Australian advertising body have decided to ban Ford's latest commercial for the Ranger Raptor.
The Ranger Raptor is, of course, known best for its off-roading prowess. Not so much for stuff like rock crawling (although it does that with aplomb, too), but more so for the way it deals to bumps and sideways moments in ... err ... rapid applications.
It's no surprise then that the above advert used in Australia has bet the ban hammer, after several complaints to the country's advertising authority — Ad Standards Australia.
One complainant (and, it only takes one in Australia to warrant an investigation from the ASA) said that the advert was “very dangerous” and “encourages unsafe and destructive driving by others”. And that's what prompted the ASA to make a move, while issuing their own statement.
“The speed that the vehicle is seen travelling down the dirt road, dramatised by the sound of the engine and filming techniques, appeared reckless,” they said.
“The panel considered the speed of the vehicle appeared unsafe when the vehicle became airborne”.
Click here to watch Volkswagen's banned UK commercial for the Polo GTI
All of this was despite Ford's commercial specifying in a disclaimer that the stunt driving was filmed in a safe environment with professional drivers. It's also worth noting that the ad doesn't appear to show such driving on public roads — instead doing so on rugged unmarked farmland.
If the same advert airs on Kiwi television sets in the coming weeks, it'll be curious to see if it incurs the same wrath. Nonetheless, it's hard to see issue with this kind of performance driving when it's conducted in a controlled environment.