Boycott Wicked campers
 

Wicked Campers have a long history of painting disgusting slogans on their vans. They have recently taken it to new heights with pictures of Snow White smoking crack and the Cookie Monster wielding a gun.

New Zealand has recently banned Wicked Campers and Tasmania is following suit. Many businesses, including caravan parks, are now refusing entry to vans with degrading slogans.

If you are contemplating coming Down Unda to rent a van, steer clear of Wicked Campers.

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...c3&oe=579C5C7D
It's 2016 -we should be better than this.

Boycott Wicked campers
 

Whose to say what's disgusting? I'm fairly indifferent about them but what's more disgusting to me is banning stuff simply because you don't like it. Australia has bigger problems than this to worry about.

I'd be more inclined to say "It's 2016, let's allow freedom of expression and not worry about what people paint on the side of their camper vans". Me, personally, I don't see any issue with it at all.

That's not to say that those who have an issue shouldn't post about it, or refuse the companies services. Or that privately owned campsites shouldn't be able to refuse entry. But it's alarming that a government body would ban them, it's not the way forward.

Seriously??? Just because you're not comfortable with some pretty mild sattire?
What else would you like to ban? People who look different, or think differently???

Not exactly the mindset one expects to encounter on a travel forum.

Looks pretty mild to me compared to the original version where Snow White is given a poisoned apple and ends up in a coma. Or how about the Slavic version where the Queen tries to eat Snow White's lungs and liver. That'd look good on the side of a van.

Maybe the other side of the van portrays the Queen's eventual fate (one of the alternatives anyway) - danced to death in a pair of red hot iron shoes. Would we be happy with that one because it's the crone that gets it?

I'd never heard of Wicked Campers before, but I have now. Outrage advertising obviously works. I wonder if I could get Banksy to paint something contentious on the side of my bike?

:rolleyes2: Have you seen some of this 'mild satire'? The press published ones are mild ... for a reason.

"verges on the incitement of hatred and vilification of individuals and groups on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation and race is morally and socially reprehensible."

"The implicit message is that women should be sexually permissive and promiscuous, and that openly and publicly demeaning women is acceptable."

Category: | The Mercury

Not something I would chose to associate with nor support in anyway. Some things are jokes... some of these are a very long way from jokes. And yes I have seen some of it - 2 that are beyond the pail!

That particular example is barely worthy of mention but I imagine the OP is aware of some of the more alarming and demeaning ones that wicked have come out with.

What should be equally alarming is the reported high rate of defect vehicles they are hiring out to unsuspecting customers.

Bad taste or obscene?
 

I don't suppose too many families rent from Wicked - it's all aimed at a different audience, in which case Wicked have deliberately limited their targeted market.

Is someone going to post pics of the more controversial graphics? :innocent:
Perhaps there are laws down under that already relate to obscenity if that is what they are?

Kind of reminds me of Ryanair - there is no bad publicity, just free publicity according to the antics of the chief of Ryanair over many years. He does seem to have calmed down nowadays since the business has become well established.

take your pick

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=w...w=1920&bih=928

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.ne...jpg?1411132203

http://cdn1.mumbrella.com.au/uploads/2014/12/wicked.jpg

http://www.trulydeeply.com.au/wp-con...-campers-2.jpg

There have been stories of people turning up to pick up their camper, objecting to such as these and then being told take it or leave it and lose your prepayment.

This is one of the campaigns at http://www.collectiveshout.org/_i_am...aign_takes_off

I've always gone by the idea that 'I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.'.

That's not to say I find the sense of 'humour' that these guys are showing to be funny or laudable in any way, but if that's what they want to spray on their vans more power to them. If people don't like it and want to express that, more power to them as well. Certainly not something that the law should be getting involved in though. There is a line, but that line is the active incitement of a clear and present threat to life and limb. This is not that.

Seriously??? You want to support the degradation of women and promote drug culture to children?

Not exactly the mindset I would expect from a well-educated traveller.

I certainly don't want that parked out the front of my house but if I took a spray can to it, the law would indeed get involved.

Followed one of these wicked vans in the Chilean (or was it the Argentine?) Lake District a month or so ago.

On a straight I overtook it. Just thought it was a sh!te paint job, nothing more. Didn't realise it was a van rental company. I'm now a great deal wiser.

Thing is there is no need to alienate more than 50% of your clients in one fell swoop plus a large proportion of the rest who at least make an effort to do the right thing. Some of the stuff is genuinely amusing and there is no need to head for the bottom.

In Chile we saw this one

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b...0/DSCF1633.JPG

which most would not object to.

and this one https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r...0/DSCF0237.JPG which I guess might be considered daring in South America, although of course considering the names of many of the No-tell Motels all over, hardly too dramatic.

To be fair scootergal, his comment was about the relatively mild example you posted at the beginning of the topic. Three or four others were similarly ho-hum about your concerns.

I imagine it would be a brave man who would come out in defense of the worst examples of the genre posted since. Problem is that by posting them we give even more publicity to a grub that doesn't deserve it, but if you don't then people have no idea why some get upset.

My views were dismissed as not radical enuff but had I posted the photos that you posted, I would have been dismissed as a raving feminist. Win Win doh

Striking it is; broadly speaking, from this small sample, Europeans don't give a damn and Australians do.

Families are certainly not their target customers and I guess the hirer of the vehicle is held responsible for any vandalism that may occur to the camper while it is on hire - many of them are crying out for a pick axe to be brought into use. :innocent:

Glad to assist in advancing your (just) cause.

Was interesting that the grub originally stated that if anyone was offended by any slogan they were welcome to spray paint it out. Then he realized that there were about 15 million people stalking the countryside armed with cans of black spraypaint looking to beautify his vehicles, so he soon retracted it and threatened police action to anyone who took him up on his offer.

Here ya go SG.....2 yrs ago article of guilt :innocent:
Seems he must have sent his graffiti dude on holidays :thumbup1:

Wicked Campers to remove rude slogans from its vans following backlash

I cannot believe this degraded into a slug fest.doh

She made a very simple statement and gave a fair warning to travelers, if you rent one of these vans you may indeed not have a place to stay do to the low IQ "satire" on the van.
Regardless of how wrong you may think that is to your individual "freedoms" it is reality.
So take the friendly warning and be happy someone spelled it out for you.

jeiger

I just think that ppl generally take offense by being told what to do based on other people's moral compass.

The images are vulgar, I wouldn't want to drive around in something like that and I think someone who does would have trouble moving freely around public camp sites, but as there is no law being broken, it's a free world and people have the right to express their views either directly or via slogans painted by others.

We may not agree with it, but we cannot begin a unilateral censorship based on the opinions of an indevidual.

Hello all! :D

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Free world? :helpsmilie:

There is no bad publicity two, or more, years later
 

It's apparent from the link that this story has been around since 2014 with a promise to change the decor of the vans, along with other promises as per the post above.

Michael O'Leary of the airline Ryanair would recognise this method of courting the media for free advertising via statements that are both conflicting and contrary to earlier statements.

So, how many vans are carrying slogans of this nature today?

He isn't about to change his spots

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

https://newmatilda.com/2016/04/03/wi...little-people/

from wikipedia

"In July 2014 a petition opposing their sexist and misogynist slogans attracted over 100,000 signatures and protests in the Senate of the Australian Parliament. After pressure through the media, Wicked issued an apology and committed to removing the offensive slogans.[13] As of January 2015, they have not done so"

Yes, it all makes sense for the company and the boss: 2015 and again in 2016 = more free publicity on an annual basis as a minimum.
They won't be bothered so long as they continue to rent out the campervans.
Incidentally, they don't look like the "state of the art" modern vehicles that would be of most interest for family vacations.
They are old VWs and similar (?), which hold their value quite well in European markets but probably not for most people unless re-sprayed.

I imagine that there are some astute lawyers in the mix (for the wicked company) with the information given in NewMatilda about the various State laws in Oz.

They are predominantly 15-20 year old Japanese "grey import" vans, and quite "grungy".

The majority seem to be rented by western europeans who prefer to travel around the country in a smoke haze. Surprisingly, they are not really any cheaper to rent than a newer modern van, and because they are so old and tired their fuel economy is much poorer.

It seems there is clearly a market for reasonably well to do travellers who are prepared to pay for the privilege of thumbing their noses at others, and "letting their freak flag fly" whilst on holiday in a foreign country and out sight of their daily peers.

As such, I can't see the point of requesting people to boycott the company.

Clearly, people already fall into one of 2 camps.
If you don't like what is written on them then you are never going to want to rent one, or be seen in, one of the vans.
Alternatively, if you do like the subversity (or is it crassness?) of what is written then clearly you will not be one who is swayed to change their mind and choose to boycott them.

So that really only leaves you with a public campaign to have the signage legislated out of existence.

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

I expect HU travellers to have higher standards than sexist, racist, homophobic, drug pushing gutter-snipes.
Please tell me my expectations are not too high.

I can chose not to camp alongside people, or vehicles if I think they may degrade my experience. If a camp site has a number of such then I can move to another site.

I can chose to dissuade people from using the services of firms who 'business practices' are not what I regard as good. 'Wicked Campers' is one firm I would place firmly in the can of rejects.

I don't think you'll find too many HU members who do support them Scootergal, this is why I think a call for a boycott would be ineffective.

Coincidentally, my wife and I are off to NZ next for a 3 week campervan tour (Apollo van) in 4 days time so it will be interesting to see how effective the Wicked ban is over there - when we were last in NZ 4 years ago there were plenty about.

As I stated earlier, the best way to stop them is to enforce current legislation - the same legislation that prevents inappropriate advertising on billboards etc..

After all, advertising on a campervan is, for all intents and purposes, a mobile billboard.

Scootergal: Your original post with the warning that renters of these vans might not be allowed in some campsites was a good idea, but with a mixed message by asking for a boycott in the title of the post.

However I can certainly see why you and other women should be offended by some of these paint jobs, and I think we've now all seen enough photos, so I'm closing the thread.

Tim