A local Adelaide shop spooked drivers with promotional flyers designed to look like parking tickets – but the owners say it’s generated “record-breaking” business.
One woman, Shirley, had returned from a dental appointment in Tea Tree Plaza in Modbury, north-east Adelaide, to find what looked like a parking fine tucked under her windshield.
Upon further inspection, the “ticket” – which had City of Adelaide emblazoned on the top – was an advertisement for a local clothing shop, ABC Adelaide reported.
“You’ve been cited! But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it seems,” the fake fine reads.
“This notice has been issued because your current outfit has been found in violation of the Fashion Code under Section 2025 of the Trendsetter Regulations.
“This is a gentle nudge to step up your style game.”
The flyer includes a QR code for the clothing shop’s online store.
It also includes a disclaimer: “This is not a real parking violation, nor is this notice issued by or associated with the City of Adelaide or any official entity”.
“The response to our new flyers has been a mix of enthusiasm and criticism,” the owners of New Realm, Noa and Matteo, told 9news.com.au.
“While they’ve definitely grabbed attention and sparked some positive feedback, they’ve also stirred debate and drawn some backlash.
“But that’s exactly what we expected – creating conversation and making people think is part of what we do.”
Noa and Matteo said the attention around the fake parking tickets had resulted in huge sales growth.
“The numbers this campaign has brought to our store have been record-breaking,” they added.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the traction it’s gained, and the momentum is continuing to build.”
Another person took to Reddit to claim they were also fooled by the fake ticket.
“Was already having the worst day and saw this stuck under my wiper while driving, nearly lost my sh–,” the person wrote.
A Melbourne burger chain pulled a similar stunt after it began slapping windshields with a convincing parking fine, which turned out to be a free burger voucher.
The legality of this marking tactic is murky – and could be considered littering under the law.
The Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, in section 146B, prohibits placing advertising material in or on a vehicle.
“Advertising material not to be placed in or on vehicles. A person must not deposit any advertising material in or on any vehicle. The maximum penalty is five penalty units.”
The City of Adelaide prohibits illegal bill posting on vehicles, buildings, street furniture and railway infrastructure.
“It is illegal to conduct any bill posting without the consent of the owner or occupier of the property where the bill is to be posted, whether it be councils, businesses, government or individual persons,” the council states on its website.
In NSW, fines can be handed out for depositing advertising material on vehicles, which carries a $200 penalty.
