Pineapple Insurance Under Fire After ARB Rules Taxi Driver Stereotyping Ad Discriminatory

The ad, which compared driving without insurance to greeting a taxi driver in the “wrong” language, has been found discriminatory by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB), bringing long-standing issues of cultural sensitivity and representation in South African advertising to the forefront.

The Facebook post, written in Zulu, stated: “Driving without car insurance is like saying ‘dumelang’ to a taxi driver.” (‘Dumelang’ is a Sotho greeting.) The implication is clear: greeting a taxi driver (presumed to be Zulu), in another language could result in an awkward or even hostile interaction. For many, the joke played into familiar but harmful stereotypes that taxi drivers are Zulu, aggressive, and intolerant of other cultures.

Social harm

While Pineapple Insurance claimed the ad was intended as a light-hearted way to illustrate the risks of driving uninsured, the ARB found that the execution relied on tribal assumptions and negative portrayals of a specific group. The Board stated:

"The communication of the advertisement is that speaking Sotho to taxi driver is risky, rather than awkward. The Advertisement is implying that Zulu taxi drivers are angry and dangerous, and are going to respond negatively. Indeed, it is only this interpretation that makes the comparison to driving without insurance make sense."

This interpretation, the ARB explained, is what makes the analogy between speaking a different language and driving without insurance work. Without the underlying stereotype, the message falls apart which is a clear sign that it depends on a harmful cultural narrative.

Pineapple’s response

Pineapple Insurance argued that the ad reflected common social interactions in a diverse country, and noted that Zulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa. The intention, they said, was to be inclusive by using different languages and cultural references in their marketing.

However, the ARB ruled that intention does not negate impact. The ad was found to be in breach of Clause 3.4 of Section II of the Code of Advertising Practice, which prohibits content that stereotypes or demeans any group based on culture, language, or ethnicity.

The Directorate acknowledged that although South Africa enjoys humour in its advertising: "The line between a light-hearted joke about South African stereotypes and discrimination is a challenging line to draw."

The ARB has ordered Pineapple to withdraw the advertisement.