VW PoloHoax Ad Spreads Like A Wildfire

In January 2005, Volkswagen was at the center of a big controversy after a spoof advert featuring a suicide bomber spread across the world on the Internet. The spoof ad opens with the suicide bomber leaving his home and hopping into his VW Polo. The driver wears the signature scarf made famous by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. He parks his car in front of a busy London restaurant and then detonates his bomb. The blast is contained within the car, saving the diners. The ad ends with the slogan: Polo. Small but tough. The clip became the most watched viral ad of 2005, with over 2.3 million downloads.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnL-7x4n4d8 for a clip.

The hoax created quite a stir as the ad flashed around the world on the Internet. Many people were confused and thought the ad was real given its high production value and display of the VW logo. An investigation by the British newspaper The Guardian revealed that the hoax was created by a duo of maverick advertisers, Dan Brooks and Lee Ford. The ad was shot on 35mm film and a shoestring budget of 40,000. In an interview with The Guardian, Lee said that We made the advert for Volkswagen. We never really intended it for public consumption. It was principally something we made to show people in the industry but it got out somehow. The ad is a comment on whats happening at the moment. People see this on the news every daythe car comes out as a hero as it stops the blast.

Viral ads are often produced by creative talent looking for work. Apparently, the duo had sent the spoof to DDB, Volkswagens ad agency. Volkswagen was not amused. A company spokesperson said that We were horrified. This is not something we would consider using. It is in incredibly bad taste to depict suicide bombers. He added that VW was considering legal action and blamed the advert on two young creatives who are trying to make a name for themselves.

This was not the first time that a spoof ad wreaked havoc for a famous car brand. A year earlier, Ford had to distance itself from a viral e-mail showing a cats head being cut off by a Ford cars sunroof.

Case Questions

What could be the impact of the viral suicide bomber ad for Volkswagen? Is the company right to be concerned about the hoax?

What should VW do? Should they indeed take legal action and sue the makers of the ad? Or is there a better course of action?