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As the country remains locked in drought, even the advertising industry has been impacted as new SUV commercials ditch the iconic “car splashing through water shot” or ‘CSTW’ footage as it is known in industry circles.

Toby Fleece from advertising agency Garnish & Fleece says the transition away from water-based SUV ads has been difficult.

“As advertising executives, we obviously have a very strong moral compass, and can’t bear the thought of wasting precious water by splattering it on the underside of the latest SUV. As a consequence we have been forced to focus on practical aspects of the vehicles such as their carrying capacity and fuel consumption instead of some sort of farcical aquatic ceremony. Also, all of the creeks we usually use are dried up”.

The Motor Trades Association of Australia said the shift in promotional focus could hit the industry hard:

“The CSTW has been a critical part of the SUV advertising sector for decades and customers often base their entire purchase decision on the SUV that is depicted making the biggest splash on an unsuspecting body of water” said spokesman Maurice Juan Thousand.

“Time has shown that any SUV with a weak CSTW shot will suffer in the sales stakes as it is perceived to be incapable of real off-roading; even though most SUVs will only ever travel from home to the shops via the service station, then from the shops back to home, again via the service station.”

“Cutting out the CTSW entirely could wreak havoc on sales, but as an industry it is our responsibility to react to these drier times by updating our advertising and only importing cars that do not feature underside rust protection.”