Nissan had to re-edit this commercial two times to placate Aussie ad watchdog [w/poll]

Fri, 02 Aug 2013

Nissan recently aired a commercial in Australia for its Pulsar SSS hatchback – think of it as a five-door relative of our Sentra – in which a couple is seen hastily making their way to the hospital ahead of giving birth. But the ad you can watch now isn't the same ad that aired originally – in fact, Nissan had to re-edit the commercial twice before the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) would accept it.

According to Go Auto, the original ad received complaints that it depicted unsafe and reckless driving, including speeding, following cars too closely and screeching to a halt upon arriving at the hospital. One of the complaints reportedly read: "The advertisement promotes driving behavior (rapid acceleration/deceleration/changes of direction) that is counter to sound medical advice regarding the carriage of heavily pregnant women in motor vehicles."

In the first edit, Nissan lowered the vehicle's engine noise, removed the woman's speech urging the man to drive faster ("Go, go, go!") and inserted a disclaimer that read "Filmed under controlled conditions," according to Go Auto, but all of that still wasn't enough to appease the ASB.

Nissan went back for some more editing, which resulted in the tamer commercial that's airing in Oz today. Nissan even removed extra shots to fit in slightly slow-motion video of the Pulsar driving, to be sure viewers don't think it's speeding. Even so, there's still an enjoyable hook to the ad – watch it by scrolling below.

By Damon Lowney