New Zealand tourism ad ruled to NOT be misleading

A tourism ad that shows a woman drinking from a stream has been ruled to not be misleading, despite complaints claiming otherwise.

The Tourism New Zealand ‘100% pure’ promotion was slammed after a section of the ‘journey’ to various locations included a woman using her hand to drink in the river.

But with almost half of New Zealand’s rivers reportedly containing a toxic level of E. coli, viewers filed complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority asking for the ad to be taking off the air.

 

A New Zealand tourism ad that shows a woman drinking from a stream has been ruled to not be misleading, despite a host of complaints claiming slamming it as otherwise (pictured)

With almost half of New Zealand's rivers (pictured) containing a toxic level of E coli, viewers filed complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority calling the ad misleading

With almost half of New Zealand’s rivers (pictured) containing a toxic level of E coli, viewers filed complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority calling the ad misleading

Beginning on a hill top, the couple make their way past landmarks including the set of Lord of the Rings, the country’s glaciers and traditional Maori statues.  

But the ASA reportedly received two complaints from viewers, raising concerns that the ad ‘made misleading claims about the quality of the water in New Zealand rivers’.

Despite the complaints alleging the ad had no ‘sense of social responsibility’ and ‘no river in NZ is safe to drink from anymore’, the ad was approved by the ASA.

Pointing to the fact the ad was an ‘aspirational view of New Zealand’, the agency said they chose not to uphold the complaint as the footage had also been filmed in an E. coli free stream.

They also chose claimed the woman had not drunk the water, with the video cutting to a different shot.

‘The advertisement showed the type of experiences it is possible to have in New Zealand,’ the ASA’s findings read. 

Pointing to the fact the ad was an 'aspirational view of New Zealand' (pictured), the agency said the footage had been filmed in an E coli free stream

Pointing to the fact the ad was an ‘aspirational view of New Zealand’ (pictured), the agency said the footage had been filmed in an E coli free stream

‘The Complaints Board agreed it was still possible to drink water from certain locations in New Zealand. 

‘The Advertiser had confirmed the scene was filmed at the Blue Pools in Haast which does have export quality, alpine water.’

Despite some members of the complaints board agreeing with the complainants, the ASA overall agreed it had not ‘encouraged an unsafe practise’. 

 

 

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