Hyundai suicide ad...

[Spinney]

Hyundai apparently have a new advert, pointing out that their car is so 'clean' that you cannot use it to kill yourself (the sealed car in a garage method - I imagine that driving into a brick wall would still work). A couple of responses to this on the internet ( the ad itself is embedded in the first one):

http://copybot.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/an-open-letter-to-innocean-and-hyundai/

http://www.badscience.net/2013/04/suicide-advert-from-hyundai-is-almost-surreally-misguided/

And hyundai's address, should anyone think it worth emailing them.
http://www.hyundai.co.uk/contact-us

 

[vernon]

Can't please all of the folk all of the time....

Surely the message is don't bother trying it'll take too long?

It's not that much different to the VW add showing how pointless it was to use one of their cars for suicide bombing.

It's impossible to cater for all sensibilities.

The advert will have achieved its objective by raising the profile of the company.

 

[Spinney]

But most ads don't increase the suicide rate... see the Ben Goldacre article (2nd link).

 

[Archie_tect]

Life's difficult enough.

 

[Peteaud]

Their head office is in High Wycombe.

And hyundai's address, should anyone think it worth emailing them.
http://www.hyundai.co.uk/contact-us

 

[asterix]

Is High Wycombe that bad?

 

[Spinney]

Got an email back from their customer services within a couple of hours, saying unreserved apology, ad withdrawn.

 

[SomethingLikeThat]

Surely these kinds of topics are best to just stay away from as an advertising agency? Yes you want to create something 'edgy' that people will remember but using something like that to sell a product is a bit strange to me.

 

[TheDoctor]

Having had three Hyundais and been very happy with them, I'd have thought the best ad would be :-
Hyundai - 5 year warranty.
You won't need it.