Hauraki win appeal…sort of

Auckland Rock station Hauraki has got more publicity than they possibly could have hoped for from one quite simple billboard.

The 'Hauraki Amped' ad features drive jock Matt Heath (left) and the text "my show starts at 4pm, long enough to get over any hangover".

The advertising watchdog (ASA) in New Zealand received a complaint from an Auckland resident who believed that the advertisement suggested that Heath was 'amped on alcohol' and thus breached social responsibility. The ASA upheld the complaint in May, noting that the ad made light of excessive alcohol consumption, although they accepted that the reference was supportive of the Hauraki Amped 'rock and roll lifestyle'.

Thus began a series of appeals by Hauraki, based around their position that edgy humour was a necessary part of appealing to the stations '30-something' male target, and that their audience would understand the context of the advertisement.

The complainant disagreed, and suggested that because the billboard was in the upper class suburb of Epsom, that it therefore was not effectively aimed at Hauraki's blue collar target.

The final decision has just been released and the ASA has allowed the advertisement to be run in newspapers, but not in outdoor advertising.

For Hauraki, a win/win. They have received more publicity from the complaint and subsequent appeals than they ever would have from the original advertisement.