Kiwibank's new mascot sheep has been the subject of scandal and questionable content, and the bank has weighed in.

Sexualised tweets about Buck the Sheep have gone viral, and Last Week Tonight's John Oliver even discussed the reactions on his show. 

UOA marketing professor Mike Lee says Kiwibank's response video indicates the bank might have misunderstood the situation. 

"We're not talking about a psychiatric disorder... it's a joke. And I think the issue is that Kiwibank mistook the joke for a threat and ended up bringing a sledgehammer to the playground." 

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