ATVs Motorcycles   ATVs Suzuki is continuing with the ATV advertising guidelines it implemented in 1988. The motorcycle advertising guidelines have again been provided by the Motorcycle Industry Council. Dealers should comply with these guidelines to manage their own legal risks and to be sure that ads are eligible for co-op reimbursement as well. Creative All Suzuki-supplied ad slicks, radio scripts and TV spots are pre-approved if you run them as-is. If you create your own ads, these guidelines will help ensure that your ads portray safe, responsible use of ATVs. Ease of Use: 1. Cannot state or imply that ATVs are easy to ride or that ATVs can be operated without proper training. 2. Cannot state or imply that an ATV is a toy. Example: Cannot refer to youth models as “toys”, or to recreational riding as "play." 3. Cannot state or imply that ATVs can go "anywhere" or do "every" type of task. 4. Cannot state or imply that ATVs are stable, or that certain features make one ATV more stable than another. 5. Cannot refer to ATV use that requires substantial experience or advanced skills. Example: Cannot show an operator climbing a steep hill or other difficult terrain. Minimum Ages and Youth Models: 1. Cannot state or imply that ATVs are appropriate for use by everyone, by all family members, or by persons of all ages. 2. Youth model ads that depict (by an illustration, photo or video) a child who is under 16 years old operating an ATV (12 to 15 years old on an LT80; 6 to 11 years old on an LT-A50) must also depict an adult clearly supervising the child. 3. For all youth model ads, the text or voiceover shall stress the importance of adult supervision. Power: 1. Statements concerning an ATV's power must be directly related to its use for utility purposes. Example: You can say an ATV which is marketed for utility use has "stump-pulling power," but you cannot state that an ATV has a "powerful engine" or that it has "the most power in its class. 2. Cannot state or imply that an attribute of an ATV is its speed or that riding at a fast speed is safe or appropriate. Riding Style and Environment: Cannot state or imply that any of the following maneuvers or forms of behavior are safe or appropriate: 1. Operator inattention, including operator failure to keep his or her eyes on the path ahead or failure to keep both hands on the handlebars. 2. Formations of operators following too closely for the speed traveled. 3. Wild or reckless behavior or dangerous use of ATVs. 4. Wheelies, jumps, or any other maneuver in which one or more of an ATV's wheels leaves the ground (except that wheels may leave the ground slightly and momentarily as part of normal operation). 5. Aggressive or prolonged sliding or skidding. Example: Close-ups of wheels spraying dirt, sand, gravel, snow, water, or other material are prohibited. Ads for Sport models may depict riding maneuvers that require advanced skills or substantial experience if captioned “Experienced rider with advanced skills shown”. 6. Speeding through water or riding through water that’s deeper than specified in owner’s manual. 7. Cannot show ATVs in use on paved surfaces or public roads ATV/Operator Equipment: 1. All operators must wear a helmet, eye protection, gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirt or jacket, and sturdy boots that cover the ankle. Such apparel must also be worn or clearly visible for any person appearing to be a potential operator. Example: If the potential operator is standing near the ATV, he or she must be wearing appropriate clothing, but the helmet, goggles, and gloves can be placed on the ATV’s seat or cargo rack, as long as they are visible in the photo. 2. Headlights (if equipped) must be turned on when the ATV is running. 3. A whip antenna and flag must be mounted to the ATV when operating on sand dunes or other similar areas of limited vision. Cargo and Trailers: 1. Cannot state or imply that it is safe or appropriate to carry cargo or tow a trailer which exceeds recommended weight limits for an ATV. 2. Cargo on racks or in trailers shall always be properly secured and evenly balanced, left to right, and appropriately balanced front to rear. Headlights must not be obscured. 3. Advertisements shall not state or imply that heavy loads may be carried or towed up or across steep slopes. Safety Messages: Please refer to the next section for the text of the standard safety messages and guidelines on when they are required. Summary of QuadRunner® Advertising Safety Message Requirements The requirements for QuadRunner advertising are detailed in this section. Be advised that any co-op claims submitted for ads not following these guidelines will not be approved. 1. Cannot run ads in magazines or on television programs whose audience is one-third or more children less than 16 years old. 2. Safety messages (see "Safety Messages" section) must be included with all ATV advertising and promotional materials except those which: A. Promote only: 1. Your local sales event (with mention of product names, but without specific mention of product features, benefits or attributes). 2. Model price information. 3. Dealership product (availability) and location information. B. Show only an ATV and brand name or model designation without accompanying text (does not specify benefits, features or attributes). C. Show ATVs as part of a wider group of product lines (motorcycle, outboard motors, generators) without addressing ATV performance in operation, image characteristics, or specific benefits, features or attributes.   In other words, if you describe the ATV or how it may be used in ANY manner, you MUST have the safety message in the ad. So, if you only state, for example: "The Suzuki Vinson ATV is available at Hometown Suzuki for the low price of $(PRICE)" then you DO NOT need the safety messages, because you are only stating model availability, location and price. However, if you state: "Hometown Suzuki has a complete supply of hard-working QuadRunner ATVs" —or— "Buy a Vinson now from Hometown Suzuki for the upcoming hunting season" then you must include the safety messages because "hard-working" and "for the upcoming hunting season" describe the ATV or how it may be used. 3. Age recommendations and training message must be included in all radio and television ads except in the cases specified in #2. To avoid risking a denial of your co-op claim, you may wish to play it safe and include the age and training message in all radio and television ads. 4. This material includes four major types of ATV safety messages. The Full-Line message is mandatory for all advertisements which include by mention or implication the Youth Models (QuadSport 80 or QuadSport 50). A Full-Line motorcycle and ATV ad, Full-Line ATV ad, or any ad combining a Youth Model ATV with other ATV models would require use of this Full-Line message. The Full-Line message can also be used if a Youth Model is not mentioned. The Adult-Only ATV message is written for Adult-Only ATV models. This message can only be used in advertisements for any combination of models not including a Youth Model. The individual model LT80 message or LT-A50 message can be used when one of those ATVs is advertised alone. The Youth Models combined message is used when one or more Youth Model ATVs (LT-A50 or LT80) is advertised with one or more Youth Model motorcycles (JR50 or JR80). Note: Safety messages must be printed in a type size at least 90 percent as big as the main ad body copy. Media ATV advertisements may not appear in magazines or printed materials designated as youth-directed or children’s magazines, such as comics or school yearbooks. Likewise, broadcast television purchases may not be made when within or adjacent to programs whose audiences are projected to be composed of one-third or more children less than 16 years old.   Motorcycles Creative We have included in these ad guidelines safety messages for use in motorcycle ad slicks. They are used in all national print advertising and have been included with this Ad Planner for you to use them. There is no legal requirement to use them, but in today’s legal environment, it is more important than ever to market all products responsibly, so we strongly encourage you to follow these guidelines and use the safety messages in your motorcycle advertising. Media There are no legal restrictions regulating motorcycle media placement. M/C Advertising Guidelines In this section we have outlined a set of voluntary advertising guidelines to foster public awareness of responsible motorcycling. Adhering to these guidelines will be in the best interest of public safety and also benefit the long-term image and growth of the industry. By establishing these guidelines, the industry more overtly demonstrates its concern for public safety and the responsible use of motorcycles, as well as its willingness to take positive action. 1. In all photographs/illustrations depicting motorcycle operators and passengers, they should be shown wearing (if riding) or displaying (if not riding) protective gear, i.e., helmets and eye protection, long trousers, long-sleeved tops, gloves and over-the-ankle boots. Use of a helmet, at all times, by both rider and passenger, should be stressed. Helmets should be worn or prominently displayed by all people appearing to be potential riders of a pictured motorcycle. 2. When a motorcycle is shown on public streets or highways, its lights should be on and riders should be illustrated or written of as following the laws and rules of the road, being courteous to other vehicle operators and following safe riding practices. Practices such as "burnouts," "wheelies," "donuts" and "lane splitting," while not universally illegal, are not to be depicted because they can create a negative public perception and set a poor example for certain impressionable motorcyclists. 3. Illustrations or text stressing irresponsible use of speed, acceleration, horsepower or power-to-weight ratios (including extreme rider positions such as knee-dragging when cornering) are to be avoided in non-racing environments. 4. Racing environments are to clearly depict or specify closed-course facilities or sanctioned competition events by way of competition numbers, rider dress, course markings, racing officials or other ways to ensure viewer or reader awareness that the activity is not on a public roadway or in a fragile environment. Motorcycles designed for closed-circuit competition shall only be shown operating in the environment for which they were designed or in competition events for which they are legally sanctioned. 5. Off-highway motorcycles should never be shown or written of as riding in undisturbed pristine natural ("wilderness") areas, disturbing wildlife, riding off of marked trails, destroying vegetation that would retard erosion, causing extreme stream siltation or extreme dust pollution, using the vehicle in an unsafe manner or not following age, weight and passenger recommendations. Riders should be shown or written of as being courteous to fellow recreationists. 6. Motorcycles should not be shown or written of as using exhaust or engine modifications that would raise the exhaust emissions or sound level above legal limits for the environment shown.