Burst Volkswagen’s Bubble

One advertisement for the newly launched Volkswagen Polo has the actor blowing his horn, trying to antagonise an one-horned rhino. Another has the car drive over an ostrich egg to demonstrate the car's ground clearance.

While the ad makers may have felt that they were showcasing the car's ability to withstand rough roads and tough weather conditions, all they are really doing is exhorting people to disturb animals, and endangered ones at that! The ad unambiguously says, “Drive  your Volkswagen Polo  to a wildlife sanctuary. Search for the meanest looking rhino… blast the horn as loud as you can." Advertisements like this subliminally and explicitly undermine the conservation effort of so many. They also seek to undermine the efforts of those who are trying to sensitise the general public on how they should behave in sanctuaries and national parks.

Noise disturbs animals. Wild species such as the one-horned rhino, should never be provoked. Apart from the disturbance caused, the animal might even kill a stupid ‘yahoo' who takes such messages seriously. Very little has been gained and a lot lost in terms of brand equity by these crass advertisements that seem to equate teasing animals or endangering birds' eggs with fun outdoors.

Wildlife road kills are a serious issue and to encourage people to take their cars out to these places displays an astonishing ignorance on the part of the advertising team. Highways and roads through wildlife parks lead to fragmentation of habitats and laws are being put in place to rein in irresponsible drivers. Clearly, no real research went into this ad campaign that has used nature so thoughtlessly to sell a product.

Volkswagen might have gained more from a campaign whose creativity was directed at spreading awareness about the endangered status of the rhino, instead they have chosen to poke fun at it and of our natural heritage. There was no need for the advertising agency or the client who approved this atrocious attempt to get attention, to enter into conflict with wildlife conservation.

Sanctuary Asia works with millions of young persons. Volkswagen can be sure that this constituency gives them a ‘thumbs down' for their attempt at misfired humour, if indeed they were trying to be funny.  Our readers are urged to write to  both Volkswagen and DDB Mudra to ask them to consult their own employees, who we are confident would never approve of the campaign.

As champions of the free press, Sanctuary Asia is not asking for the advertisement to be banned. Instead, we intend to draw the attention of a large number of people, including car owners and members of automobile associations, to ask whether they approve or disapprove of the advertisement and the values it projects.