A TV ad for the new-generation Toyota HiLux ute has been found to breach Australian advertising standards and will need to be modified or removed from the air. The ad, titled ‘The Pied Piper’, shows dozens of dogs chasing a red Toyota HiLux Rogue along a dirt road before jumping into the ute’s tray, unrestrained, eventually overloading the vehicle in a comedic scene.
Why were complaints made about the ad?
The Ad Standards Community Panel received complaints claiming the ad showed dangerous and potentially illegal behaviour.
People’s concerns focused on dogs being transported without restraints, the depiction not reflecting best practice or community safety standards, and road rules requiring animals to be secured during travel.
Some complaints acknowledged that muster dogs may be exempt in certain situations, but argued the ad did not clearly show this context.
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Advertising codes investigated
Three potential breaches were examined by the Ad Standards Community Panel:
- FCAI Motor Vehicle Advertising Code (Driving practices)
- AANA Code of Ethics – Violence
- AANA Code of Ethics – Health and Safety
Toyota’s response
Toyota Australia defended the ad, describing it as light-hearted and deliberately exaggerated. The company said the dogs symbolise loyalty, playfully abandoning other utes for the Toyota HiLux. The driver is unaware of the dogs until the end of the ad. The tone is deliberately humorous.
Toyota also stated that all dogs were trained and unharmed. Many scenes used CGI and props, and no live dogs were filmed unsecured in a moving vehicle on public sealed roads.
Panel’s ruling on the advertisement
The panel found the ad breached two of the three codes: FCAI Motor Vehicle Advertising Code (illegal driving behaviour) and AANA Health and Safety standards.
The final ruling concluded that Toyota will modify the advertisement. It remains unclear whether the HiLux ad will be edited or pulled entirely.
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