News
NewsHound
- Sep 12, 2007
- 48
- 0
- Funster No
- 282
Campervans ordered off road Down Under
A campervan rental company in Australia has been forced to remove sexist slogans from the sides of its iconic vehicles by the Advertising Standards Board.
Wicked Campers hires budget, graffiti-sprayed campervans to travellers from depots around Australia, but complaints have been made about some of its more controversial paint jobs.
Vans adorned with overtly sexist the phrases have been deemed offensive and must be withdrawn.
Complaints against other slogans have been made but not upheld due to lack of visual evidence. One British couple driving a van painted with the phrase “Save a Whale – Harpoon a Jap” have become minor celebrities, appearing in local newspapers debating the potentially racist nature of the vehicle.
Andy and Jo Roper from Reading did not choose the van but said they would have done so if given the opportunity.
“If Japanese people are offended they should think about why it’s being written,” Jo Roper told the Brisbane Times. “It’s there to start debate about what’s happening to the whales.”
Despite escalating fuel prices, campervanning is surging in popularity, with a 3.5% growth in new registrations of motorhomes in the UK in the first five months of 2008. For advice on planning your own campervan odyssey – without the controversy – see the latest issue of Wanderlust, in newsagents now.
A campervan rental company in Australia has been forced to remove sexist slogans from the sides of its iconic vehicles by the Advertising Standards Board.
Wicked Campers hires budget, graffiti-sprayed campervans to travellers from depots around Australia, but complaints have been made about some of its more controversial paint jobs.
Vans adorned with overtly sexist the phrases have been deemed offensive and must be withdrawn.
Complaints against other slogans have been made but not upheld due to lack of visual evidence. One British couple driving a van painted with the phrase “Save a Whale – Harpoon a Jap” have become minor celebrities, appearing in local newspapers debating the potentially racist nature of the vehicle.
Andy and Jo Roper from Reading did not choose the van but said they would have done so if given the opportunity.
“If Japanese people are offended they should think about why it’s being written,” Jo Roper told the Brisbane Times. “It’s there to start debate about what’s happening to the whales.”
Despite escalating fuel prices, campervanning is surging in popularity, with a 3.5% growth in new registrations of motorhomes in the UK in the first five months of 2008. For advice on planning your own campervan odyssey – without the controversy – see the latest issue of Wanderlust, in newsagents now.