Adelaide-based Royal Automobile Association (RAA) Insurance has found itself in hot water over its latest TV advertising campaign, which the Advertising Standards Board ordering one of its ads off the air.

The ad, in which a man complains casually about his experiences with an India-based call centre operator, was deemed to have undertones of racial vilification. The board found it made a joke of cultural and social differences and portrayed Indian customer service as poor compared with Australia’s.

But it was hardly a unanimous decision – board members opposed to removing the ad demanded their dissent be officially recorded.

The RAA has agreed to take the ad off the air but is strongly protesting against the decision.

“The advertisement reinforced that the RAA is proudly South Australian,” the organisation said in a prepared statement. “(It) offers a locally based call centre that the SA community can contact and speak with someone who lives in the state and knows the local environment.”

The RAA says it has been inundated with letters of support and is urging the public to complain directly to the board.