Todd Hunter: Turners CEO on the backlash to the Tina from Turner’s car advertisement

Complaints about a YouTube version of the latest Tina from Turner's car dealership advert have been upheld by the advertising watchdog. 

The Advertising Standards Authority says a scene of a car performing a burnout isn't 'socially responsible' after complaints it was a disgrace to Kiwis, showing illegal activity, using swear words and was offensive.

Turners chief executive Todd Hunter says it seems like a storm in a teacup. 

"We didn't take it out in the YouTube version, because we thought it was kind of some fun - and so the person who complained, we owe them a great deal of thanks for keeping Tina from Turner’s continually in the media."

The ad can't keep being used in its current form. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now my favorite ad is the Turner's ad, but it
turns out that the advertising standards authority doesn't love it
quite as much sollas your Honda under I mean, I
am planes absolutely to niggle them, aren't I? Yes, I am.
Someone's complained that the ad is a disgrace to Kiwis
for showing illegal activity, swearing and offending obese people, but

(00:20):
the and the ASA have agreed with that, actually, because
it's not socially responsible to show a car doing a burnout.
Todd Hunter is the chief executive of Turners, a Todd
hey head. It's a bit silly, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
It's got storm and the teacup vibes about it. I think, yeah,
doesn't it.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Now, what do you have to do? Do you have to
change this? Do you have to take the burnout out
in order to be able to keep continue playing the ad?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well, the TV versions of the ad have the burnout
cut out of it already, So this is just the
YouTube version of our ad that has the one second
clip of the of the burnout.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Why did you did you anticipate it was going to
be a problem? You left it out of the TV ads?

Speaker 2 (01:04):
No? I think there's actually a process that you go
through to have the ad cleared before it goes on
broadcast TV and TV on demand, and the recommendation there
was to take the burnout out, and so we did. Well,
I think they might have actually asked us to take
it out, but we didn't take it out in the

(01:25):
YouTube version because we thought it was kind of some
fun and kind of part of how we originally created
the ad. So yeah, the one second, the one second
of the car actually burning out has clearly created this

(01:45):
problem and this one complaint. I mean, I actually think
the person who complained I owe them a great deal
of thanks for keeping Tina from Turner's continually in the media.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, I was going to say this, right, because while
it's created extra work for you and basically you've wasted
your money on the burnout, it is giving you so
much free publicity that you can hardly be cross about this.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
That's right. And if you read through the comments on
the Herald article, clearly people are overwhelmingly and support of
the ad and support of what we're doing. So yeah,
it's all fine.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah, good on. Yeah, listen, Todd, thank you very much,
appreciate it. Todd Hunter, Turner's chief executive. We were going
to speak to Bodo. What happened Laura to Todd call
in to Todd hear us talking. Yeah, Todd heard we're
going to talk to Bodo Lang, the marketing guy, and
then Todd heard us talking about it, and Todd called
up and was like, now, don't talk to don't talk
to Bodo. I'll talk about my ad. And then on
he came because I'm a fan of Todd's and Todd's

(02:44):
is a fan of mine. Well, it's a fan of
Laura's work actually, because she puts the phone to get
the show together. So we'll give her the credit for
that one. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen
live to News Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
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