Hoax 'Suicide Bomber' Car Ad Takes Internet by Storm
 

The ORIGINAL ad may be seen / downloaded here....
http://www.boreme.com/bm/JAN05/a/vw-...-bomber/fr.htm

---- cut ---- boom ---- etc ----



"Harry Lime" harrylime (at) harrylime (dot) teevee wrote in message
...


http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...396579,00.html

Courtesy of www.harrylime.biz

The spoof ad opens with the suicide bomber leaving his home and jumping
into
his VW Polo. The bomber parks at a busy London restaurant where carefree
diners crowd the pavement. Cut to the terrorist sitting in his car as he
pushes the button to detonate his bomb. The blast is contained within the
car, saving the diners. The ad ends: 'Polo. Small but tough'.
It has to be a candidate for the sickest advert of all time, but also one
of
the most deceptive. Despite the high quality production values, real
Volkswagen logo and the free publicity it is attracting around the world,
the commercial was not made by the car giant.

Indeed, the firm has expressed disgust at the spoof depiction of a
suicide
bomber blowing himself up in a VW Polo, and tomorrow it will consider
legal
action against its creators.

The advert was not made for TV but to be flashed around the world on the
internet. It is part of a phenomenon of 'viral emails' - not to be
confused
with computer viruses - that is so popular that this month saw the first
'viral awards'.

Most are official efforts by companies and advertising agencies. The VW
hoax, however, marks a worrying new trend for them - bogus ads which can
be
made by one individual that can wreck a firm's reputation.

Ford had to distance itself last year from a viral email showing a cat's
head being cut off by a car's sunroof. Paul Buckett, a VW spokesman,
said:
'Two creatives known to our advertising agency, DDB London, sent in this
work on spec. The agency wouldn't have anything to do it. I can only
assume
the people who made it put it on the web.

'We were horrified. This is not something we would consider using: it is
in
incredibly bad taste to depict suicide bombers.

'It gives the impression we've condoned or supported it, and is
potentially
very damaging to Volkswagen. Our legal department is planning an action
and
we will decide tomorrow.'

The ad is believed to be the work of a duo experienced in spoof ads,
known
as Lee and Dan, who also make real commercials.

Dan told the digital newsletter of media experts Brand Republic: 'The ad
got
out accidentally and spread like wildfire.'

It reflected 'what people see in the news every day. The car is the hero
that protects innocent people from someone with very bad intentions.
We're
sorry if it has caused any offence.'


--
I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one
redeeming
feature.....Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the
introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and
imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make half the
world fools and half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over
the
world. Thomas Jefferson

Freddie M wrote:

The ORIGINAL ad may be seen / downloaded here....
http://www.boreme.com/bm/JAN05/a/vw-...-bomber/fr.htm

---- cut ---- boom ---- etc ----


The classic fake car ad is still the one National Lampoon did for VW.

http://www.superbeetles.com/vintage_ads/vintage_ad_images/vwad78.jpg

For those who can't read the headline on this small image of the ad it
reads:

"If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagon, he'd be President today."

It was in the National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor, but had to be
removed under threat of a lawsuit from VW, so about half the copies
don't have it. I've got one somewhere...

Holy ****, that can't really be made by VW! No frigging way! I love it,
although not very PC.

"Freddie M" wrote in message
groups.com...

The ORIGINAL ad may be seen / downloaded here....
http://www.boreme.com/bm/JAN05/a/vw-...-bomber/fr.htm

---- cut ---- boom ---- etc ----



"Harry Lime" harrylime (at) harrylime (dot) teevee wrote in message
...


http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...396579,00.html

Courtesy of www.harrylime.biz

The spoof ad opens with the suicide bomber leaving his home and jumping
into
his VW Polo. The bomber parks at a busy London restaurant where carefree
diners crowd the pavement. Cut to the terrorist sitting in his car as he
pushes the button to detonate his bomb. The blast is contained within
the
car, saving the diners. The ad ends: 'Polo. Small but tough'.
It has to be a candidate for the sickest advert of all time, but also
one
of
the most deceptive. Despite the high quality production values, real
Volkswagen logo and the free publicity it is attracting around the
world,
the commercial was not made by the car giant.

Indeed, the firm has expressed disgust at the spoof depiction of a
suicide
bomber blowing himself up in a VW Polo, and tomorrow it will consider
legal
action against its creators.

The advert was not made for TV but to be flashed around the world on the
internet. It is part of a phenomenon of 'viral emails' - not to be
confused
with computer viruses - that is so popular that this month saw the first
'viral awards'.

Most are official efforts by companies and advertising agencies. The VW
hoax, however, marks a worrying new trend for them - bogus ads which can
be
made by one individual that can wreck a firm's reputation.

Ford had to distance itself last year from a viral email showing a cat's
head being cut off by a car's sunroof. Paul Buckett, a VW spokesman,
said:
'Two creatives known to our advertising agency, DDB London, sent in this
work on spec. The agency wouldn't have anything to do it. I can only
assume
the people who made it put it on the web.

'We were horrified. This is not something we would consider using: it is
in
incredibly bad taste to depict suicide bombers.

'It gives the impression we've condoned or supported it, and is
potentially
very damaging to Volkswagen. Our legal department is planning an action
and
we will decide tomorrow.'

The ad is believed to be the work of a duo experienced in spoof ads,
known
as Lee and Dan, who also make real commercials.

Dan told the digital newsletter of media experts Brand Republic: 'The ad
got
out accidentally and spread like wildfire.'

It reflected 'what people see in the news every day. The car is the hero
that protects innocent people from someone with very bad intentions.
We're
sorry if it has caused any offence.'


--
I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one
redeeming
feature.....Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the
introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and
imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make half the
world fools and half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over
the
world. Thomas Jefferson

Mark S. Holden wrote:
The classic fake car ad is still the one National Lampoon did for VW.

http://www.superbeetles.com/vintage_ads/vintage_ad_images/vwad78.jpg

Is there a link to a photo large enough to actually be read?

David Stinson wrote:


Mark S. Holden wrote:

The classic fake car ad is still the one National Lampoon did for VW.

http://www.superbeetles.com/vintage_ads/vintage_ad_images/vwad78.jpg


Is there a link to a photo large enough to actually be read?

No. Scans of the ad are few and far between - the only one that turned
up when I did a Google image search was the one I posted the link for.

But here's a political web site that includes the photo of the car and
the text of the ad:

http://www.terpsboy.com/terpsboyarchives/000141.html