The Toyota ads were blacklisted in the United Kingdom by the Advertising Standards Authority. The video ads that showed several Toyota Hilux pickup trucks will no longer be aired, while the poster version will not be shown anymore.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) claims that the two promotional videos encourage drivers to behave in ways that could damage the environment.
One of the commercials, uploaded on Facebook, showed several Toyota Hilux examples driving through a forest and rivers, enjoying what the voiceover calls "one of nature's true spectacles."
Meanwhile, a poster version shown at bus stops in the UK displays the vehicles accompanied by the slogan "Born to roam," which can also be heard in the video ad. ASA disliked this one as well and prohibited its use. The agency explains that the ads "presented and condoned the use of vehicles in a manner that disregarded their impact on nature and the environment."
The move is one of the many rulings focused on protecting the environment coming from ASA lately. They also banned ads from Lufthansa and HBSC. The agency launched a project that focuses on climate change and environmental protection back in 2020.
A spokesperson for ASA explained that the commercials should induce a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society. The Toyota ads are the first banned for failing to meet the ASA standard. It is also the first time the authority has banned a commercial for promoting off-road driving, which is nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to advertising pickup trucks and SUVs with off-road capabilities.
Toyota replied to ASA, but the carmaker was unable to convince the authority that the clip does not encourage irresponsible behavior. Furthermore, they highlighted the fact that the commercial was filmed back in 2020 with The&Partnership agency, in landscapes that do not look like the UK countryside but on "private land, in Slovenia, with all the necessary permissions, in a non-ecologically sensitive environment." Toyota also recalled the brand’s mission to electrify its lineup, starting with the first mass-produced hybrid, the Prius, back in 1997.
Meanwhile, the poster ad shown at bus stops was CGI, with no environmental impact on land whatsoever.
Toyota uselessly pointed out that there are customers who buy their Hilux pickup truck specifically for the abilities it has been demonstrating off the tarmac and use them as genuine workhorses on rough terrain.
But ASA was not impressed. The authority received complaints from campaign groups such as Advertising and Adore Cities, which constantly report commercials that they consider having a negative impact on the environment.
Furthermore, Adfree Cities is calling for a total ban on adverts that promote SUVs. In fact, the group – as the name suggests – is trying to get rid of all public spaces of marketing material.
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