Just When You Thought Bad Taste Couldn’t Get Worse: The (Unapproved) VW Video Ad Starring A Suicide Bomber. Console Yourself With the (Approved) Elle Macpherson Underwear Ad in Vogue
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Philip Stone January 20, 2005

Volkswagen swears it has nothing to do with the video ad for its Polo car that has shown up on the Internet featuring a suicide bomber. In the ad the bomber, sitting in his Polo parked outside a restaurant, hits the bomb detonator blowing him to pieces, but the car remains intact. The tagline, was the same as used by Polo in legitimate ads: “Polo, Small but Tough”.

What's subtle about this picture?

The ad was first spotted in the US, but Volkswagen there  said it didn’t even know about it until contacted by a reporter. Suspicion quickly turned to UK rogues since the car’s steering wheel was on the right side. And sure enough, a duo named Lee and Dan, known for their spoof ads, admitted it was their creation. They claimed, however, the ad was not produced for public consumption, they apologized for causing any offense, but they never did say how the ad got into the public domain in the first place. Volkswagen in the UK said they had northing to do with it.

The original suspicion was that Volkswagen launched the ad as part of a viral campaign – advertising intended for the most part to be forwarded in e-mails or by word of mouth. Companies like such ads because they stand out from the norm, but the trick is to ensure they don’t damage the brand, and they are often more trouble than they are worth.

But when they work the results can be outstanding. Trojan condoms launched

lin the UK last year via a viral  campaign featuring videos of very healthy looking men and women participating in various sporting events. More than 30 million Internet viewers later, from word of mouth and emails, and Trojan is well established on the UK market for a fraction of what a TV campaign might have cost.

On the other hand, a viral ad for Ford last year showed a cat’s head being cut off by a sunroof. Animal lovers, many of whom buy cars, were outraged.  Ford, backtracking as quickly as it could, said at the time that ad was not meant to be released and called the video  “reprehensible,” but never did explain why it produced an ad that wasn’t meant for consumption.

“Sophisticated readers understand the subtilty”

Viral advertising is gaining in popularity  as a very cost-effective medium, if you get it right. The advertising community now holds annual viral awards events  in London and New York with some of the biggest advertising agencies involved.

Back at the traditional advertising factory, the good news from the UK is that an advertisement which appeared in Vogue featuring a model wearing and promoting Elle Macpherson knickers and a bra, kitchen knife at the ready to chop vegetables laid out as if they were a torso on the chopping block,  was cleared of being sado-masochistic,

The Advertising Standards Authority said Vogue readers are sophisticated enough to appreciate the ad’s subtlety. It didn’t say how it might have ruled if the ad had appeared instead in Boys Own, but we can guarantee boys would appreciate it, too, even if they are not as sophisticated as Vogue readers.

Incidentally, if you email the picture to friends who appreciate such, you’ve just participated in viral advertising.

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