Dismissed: Great Australian road trip

1.	Complaint reference number	375/05
2.	Advertiser	Coca Cola South Pacific Pty Ltd (Summer as it should be ? road trip)
3.	Product	Food & Beverages
4.	Type of advertisement	TV
5.	Nature of complaint	Language Other (social values)
6.	Date of determination	14 February 2006
7.	DETERMINATION	COMPLAINT DISMISSED

DESCRIPTION OF THE ADVERTISEMENT

This television advertisement follows a mixed group of young people travelling by car during the summer, stopping at a roadside café and finally shown in a beach sunset setting. Voiceover throughout advises ?The great Australian road trip should have no destination. The windows should always be down. The stereo should be set to eleven. You should always respect the locals. And when it?s so freaking hot the dashboard wants to melt, you should pull over and fill her up. But there should be no little sips?no pinky extensions. There should just be one glug after the other. And as you feel that icy burn slither through your chest you should sit back, put your feet up and sigh. Knowing full well this is summer as it should be.?

THE COMPLAINT

Comments which the complainant/s made regarding this advertisement included the following:

In my youth I listened to music so loud it made my ears ring, ringing that never went away, a condition known as tinnitis, and permanently muted and damaged hearing as a result.

Irresponsible use of noise? Breeding a culture of neighbourly abuse with noise?great source of annoyance and a serious health concern.

It promotes anti-social activities?there are laws against such activities and the company is promoting unlawful and antisocial behaviour.

The make a statement towards the end stating ?When it?s so friggin hot?.

I object to Coca Cola?s use of ?Friggin? as a sanitised version of ?Fucking?.

THE ADVERTISER?S RESPONSE

Comments which the advertiser made in response to the complaint/s regarding this advertisement included the following:

The use of the word ?freaking? in this TVS is appropriate to the circumstances?and further is not generally considered swearing by the target audience.

the content of the TVC is executed with sensitivity to the audience and the relevant program time zone

THE DETERMINATION

The Advertising Standards Board (?Board?) considered whether this advertisement breaches section 2 of the Advertiser Code of Ethics (the ?Code?).

The Board noted the use of the word ?freaking? in the advertisement. The Board did not consider that this language was inappropriate in the context of the advertisement. The Board did not consider that this was strong or obscene language.

The Board noted the complaints that the advertisement promoted excessively loud music. The Board noted that the advertisement?s text did encourage young people to respect ?the locals?. The Board noted that the portrayals of loud music in the advertisement were where the people were during the daytime, in the open air and in public places. The Board did not consider that such behaviour was contrary to prevailing community standards on health and safety.

The Board did not consider that any material in the advertisement was overly sexual or inappropriate to the intended audience of the advertisement.

Further finding that the advertisement did not breach the Code on any other grounds, the Board dismissed the complaint.