# Banned Bobby Billboards The Controversial New Zealand Police Recruitment Advertisement By Renee Ramsarran | Published 2011-02-16 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-zealand-police-recruitment References: [adweek.blogs](http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2011/02/new-zealand-polices-cougar-ads-are-pulled.html) & [stuff.co.nz](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4644836/Police-pull-cougar-advertisement) A New Zealand [police recruitment advertisement](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mwcurated) has been pulled from print and [online campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/skinny-mobile). The commercial was aimed at enticing a higher number of young officers to join the force. The banned ad read: "We've got a lot in common with cougars, we like 'em young too.” The [tongue and cheek sense of humor](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/engineered-for-whatever) seems to have reflected poorly on local police culture. The controversial New Zealand police recruitment ads managed to pull in 25,000 online inquiries before they were pulled. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.0/10 - Popularity: 28% | Activity: 25% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Humor](https://www.trendhunter.com/humor) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Controversial Advertisements:** There is an opportunity for AI-powered brand monitoring that alerts companies to controversial campaigns before they go to market. - **Online Recruitment:** The success of the online inquiries suggests that the recruitment industry could benefit from going digital. - **Diversity and Inclusion:** There is an opportunity for promotional materials to focus on diversity and inclusion to prevent future offensive ads. ### Who This Affects Most - **Marketing and Advertising:** Marketing agencies could specialize in creating controversial advertisements and generating online buzz. - **Law Enforcement:** Police departments could explore new and more effective ways to recruit younger officers. - **Technology:** AI-powered brand monitoring software could be developed further to detect controversial and offensive material before it goes public. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Interactive Recruitment Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/recruitment-billboards.md) - [Playful Billboard Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dreamies-treats.md) - [Boomer-Focused Voter Advertisements](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/groom-a-boomer.md) - [Creative Ad Responses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kiehls-response.md) - [Humorous Mens Fragrance Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/axe-campaign.md) - [Cheesestring Trading Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cheesestring-trading-ad.md) - [Peeling Cheese Packaging Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/babybel-billboard.md) - [High-Frequency Radio Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/morrisons-ad.md) - [Hilarious Female-Supporting Beer Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/beaver-water.md)