Tuesday 24th September 2013

VW takes on the man: Time For Tea?

And the award for the car least likely to challenge the ads nannies? The VW Passat...

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Once again we return to the idiotically restrictive way cars can be depicted in advertising, following on from the ban of the computer generated GT86 and lashed down Audi R8.

Funny then that an American ad that goes to show just how ridiculous this fear of glamorising speed has become stars ... a man singing a falsetto 80s hit and a VW Passat.

It's another clever VW ad for a pretty middle of the road product. The more ludicrous for the fact it would be instantly banned if shown in the UK. Shhh - don't tell anyone we showed you!

   

[Source: VW via Autoblog]

[Zajda]

Top stuff, some nifty people behind this. Was it already banned? Can't find the link on the frontpage anymore )

[gforceg]

That's a bit of fun. No harm at all.

But, there was a man firing a pistol!!!! BAAAAN IT!!!!! aaaaaggghhhh........

[Darkslider]

I love it, a nice pop at the nanny state with all those examples. The BRZ ad in America was how it should be done IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jmVHaEjT8A

[mrclav]

Wait..... The R8 ad got banned? When? Why?

[vrooom]

Lame advert.

[the_hood]

Good ad, boring car!

[WMP]

Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or twoooooooooooooo

[lankybob]

I actually laughed out loud, wasn't expecting that.
Great advert, the rules in this country are just ridiculous.
I didn't know the R8 ad was banned either, any reason?

[Gingerbread Man]

I thought it was quite original.

[smilo996]

So the ad is plagurism, an American speciality, the Passat is just faster than a 1950's BSA and the music from a band that had one hit single. Lovely artwork though.

[garypotter]

Where is the "Not as good as the BMW 135I " brigade?

[broadside]

Artistic license too........you can't handbrake a Passat as the electronic "handbrake" works on all 4 wheels.........which is crap!

[KTF]

mrclav said:

Wait..... The R8 ad got banned? When? Why?

Not banned. Some bellend complained about it though:

http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2013/9...

Audis reply is pretty funny:

Volkswagen Group UK Ltd t/a Audi UK (Audi UK) said the main message of the ad was not speed or acceleration, but the quality of the design and engineering of the car. They said it was clear the main message of the ad was the design and engineering of the car, because the ad visually focused on the overall form of the car, there were close ups of the engineering of the engine and the car was positioned on a test bed rather than on a real road. Audi UK said having the car positioned on a test bed confirmed a viewer's impression that the ad was about Audi testing and perfecting the car's engineering and that showing the car not moving provided a scientific environment with nothing to suggest excitement, aggression or competitiveness.

Audi UK said the secondary message of the ad was the performance of the new dual clutch S-tronic gearbox and the car was shown accelerating and decelerating through the gears to highlight the performance of this new gearbox. Volkswagen said the section in the ad where the car accelerated represented only a third of the running time of the ad and the acceleration was to show the nature of gear changes with the car's S-tronic gearbox.

[Devil2575]

KTF said:

Not banned. Some bellend complained about it though:

Some people just need to be told to fk off.

[GranCab]

AHA - I have seen something like this somewhere before ...

[Veeayt]

smilo996 said:

So the ad is plagurism, an American speciality, the Passat is just faster than a 1950's BSA and the music from a band that had one hit single. Lovely artwork though.

What? A-ha? One hit wonder?

[sila bika]

Interesting that they show a sidecar set up for the UK in an American commercial.

[jamespink]

KTF said:

mrclav said:

Wait..... The R8 ad got banned? When? Why?

Not banned. Some bellend complained about it though:

http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2013/9...

Audis reply is pretty funny:

Volkswagen Group UK Ltd t/a Audi UK (Audi UK) said the main message of the ad was not speed or acceleration, but the quality of the design and engineering of the car. They said it was clear the main message of the ad was the design and engineering of the car, because the ad visually focused on the overall form of the car, there were close ups of the engineering of the engine and the car was positioned on a test bed rather than on a real road. Audi UK said having the car positioned on a test bed confirmed a viewer's impression that the ad was about Audi testing and perfecting the car's engineering and that showing the car not moving provided a scientific environment with nothing to suggest excitement, aggression or competitiveness.

Audi UK said the secondary message of the ad was the performance of the new dual clutch S-tronic gearbox and the car was shown accelerating and decelerating through the gears to highlight the performance of this new gearbox. Volkswagen said the section in the ad where the car accelerated represented only a third of the running time of the ad and the acceleration was to show the nature of gear changes with the car's S-tronic gearbox.

That potential advertisers in the UK have to deal with this kind of nonsense complaints procedure leaves us less well served and fed a diet of anodyne pap adverts. We get what we allow legislators to rule for!

[tim-b]

Devil2575 said:

KTF said:

Not banned. Some bellend complained about it though:

Some people just need to be told to fk off.

It's interesting how 1 person's complaint obviously took up several man-hours of work from Audi and the ASA.....perhaps the costs of 'not upheld' complaints should be passed on to the aforementioned bellend!

[andyh31]

I just wonder how VW managed to rope Bill Gates in.......