[shankar.balan]

Has anyone seen the POLO AD in TOI this morning?

I cant understand what VW were thinking or what their agency were thinking when they produced the silly ad for VW Polo which came in TOI this morning.

I mean, the ad actually exhorts owners to drive their VW Polo to a wild place, seek out and find the wildest, meanest looking Rhino, create a face to face situation with the poor animal and then bang on the HORN!!

This is without a doubt amongst the most idiotic ads I have ever come across!!

It shows scant respect for the already dwindling wildlife resources of the world.Wild animals like Rhinos usually get highly irritated by loud sounds and horns etc and their behaviour is unpredictable.It would be stupid for someone to try this kind of thing as well as downright incorrect, bearing in mind what Ive said earlier. It encourages or appears to encourage highly socially-irresponsible behaviour not to mention adding to the already unbearable noise pollution levels in the country.

I am pretty sure there are enough and more people in our country who will take things literally and try to do exactly what the ad says - probably will go an honk at some poor inoffensive Bull or other animal and/ or a larger vehicle or something!

Anywhere outside of India especially in the West, loud honking is considered impolite and to be done only in cases of emergency/ extreme situations. - Yet here in India an European car manufacturer of the likes of VW goes around actively encouraging people to use their horns!!

In my estimation this ad is more or less as stupid as the earlier Maruti SX4 Ad in which the guy tries a face off with a lorry. Or even the other SX4 ad which is in bad taste- where the normally polite, considerate guy becomes a completely different animal when behind the wheel of his SX4!

[arun1100]

A hoarding near my house having a Polo ad says: "Our engineers have tested the handling, so you don't need to!" Can't we do what we want?!

May be next Polo ad will say "Our engineers have driven a Polo, so you don't need to!"

Here is the ad from TOI.

[raghu230506]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Has anyone seen the POLO AD in TOI this morning?

I cant understand what VW were thinking or what their agency were thinking when they produced the silly ad for VW Polo which came in TOI this morning.

I mean, the ad actually exhorts owners to drive their VW Polo to a wild place, seek out and find the wildest, meanest looking Rhino, create a face to face situation with the poor animal and then bang on the HORN!!

This is without a doubt amongst the most idiotic ads I have ever come across!!

It shows scant respect for the already dwindling wildlife resources of the world.Wild animals like Rhinos usually get highly irritated by loud sounds and horns etc and their behaviour is unpredictable.It would be stupid for someone to try this kind of thing as well as downright incorrect, bearing in mind what Ive said earlier. It encourages or appears to encourage highly socially-irresponsible behaviour not to mention adding to the already unbearable noise pollution levels in the country.

I am pretty sure there are enough and more people in our country who will take things literally and try to do exactly what the ad says - probably will go an honk at some poor inoffensive Bull or other animal and/ or a larger vehicle or something!

Anywhere outside of India especially in the West, loud honking is considered impolite and to be done only in cases of emergency/ extreme situations. - Yet here in India an European car manufacturer of the likes of VW goes around actively encouraging people to use their horns!!

In my estimation this ad is more or less as stupid as the earlier Maruti SX4 Ad in which the guy tries a face off with a lorry. Or even the other SX4 ad which is in bad taste- where the normally polite, considerate guy becomes a completely different animal when behind the wheel of his SX4!

+1 it's most idiotic idea.

If you observe SX4 add, it has been corrected. Supreme Court has ordered to remove the scene where the drivers drives insane (changing lanes) in the ad as it's in-appropriate. Hence the new one is a trimmed version, you would only see he zooming off in just the same lane he belongs to.

[DRIV3R]

I had posted about these polo AD's already on the other thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post1871480

[lohithrao]

I agree with Shankar, seems like the company and ad-makers have got it completely wrong! the concept would have worked better if it was an SUV!

Also this concept is already kind of used and the story telling part is pathetic!

[directinjection]

Fully agree with you Shanker. The ad is in bad taste, as most ads are these days. Rhino and mean looking? I think it's one of the most docile looking animals.

[esteem_lover]

They had a similar ad with buffaloes a few days back in the Hindu. Something like asking people to drive through a herd of buffaloes. Really really stupid.

[shankar.balan]

The most irresponsible thing is - "Drive your VW Polo to a Wildlife Sanctuary" ............."Blast the Horn!!"
What sort of rubbish advice is this?

It really gets my goat as a person who loves nature, wildlife and the environment!

Wildlife across India are already dwindling.
The Word Sanctuary is supposed to denote a "Peaceful place".

As it is, our great Indian public indulge in Picnics, dancing, loud music, fast driving and horns blaring etc when driving through Nature Reserves.

Now there is this idiotic car ad that exhorts them to Blast their horns in a Wildlife Sanctuary!!

It is worth filing a PIL against VW for this I think!! Maybe we as a collective group TBHP should initiate a PIL against this series of ads!!!

Originally Posted by arun1100

A hoarding near my house having a Polo ad says: "Our engineers have tested the handling, so you don't need to!" Can't we do what we want?!

May be next Polo ad will say "Our engineers have driven a Polo, so you don't need to!"

Here is the ad from TOI.

[Sathyagith]

I fully agree with you Shankar, only hope the folks at volkswagen read this and correct their ads.
-Sathya

[chaunfa]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The most irresponsible thing is - "Drive your VW Polo to a Wildlife Sanctuary" ............."Blast the Horn!!"
What sort of rubbish advice is this?

It really gets my goat as a person who loves nature, wildlife and the environment!

Wildlife across India are already dwindling.
The Word Sanctuary is supposed to denote a "Peaceful place".

As it is, our great Indian public indulge in Picnics, dancing, loud music, fast driving and horns blaring etc when driving through Nature Reserves.

Now there is this idiotic car ad that exhorts them to Blast their horns in a Wildlife Sanctuary!!

It is worth filing a PIL against VW for this I think!! Maybe we as a collective group TBHP should initiate a PIL against this series of ads!!!

Hmmm the Polo wouldn't half cut it to Kaziranga...the home of the rhino in India. I was a bit irritated by the ad too but I thought, such cars anyway won't be allowed in a sanctuary.

+1 agree that it is an irresponsible ad. Get the agency through the watchdog committee for advertising. I will look it up , having a senior moment here.

regards,

Chaunfa

[WindRide]

ALL the Polo ads are very childish. I did not expect VW to stoop to such idiocity to sell their cars. None of the sophisticated european understatement at all!!

I guess they are targetting the average paan-chewing desi, in which case we need to educate VW that India has moved on, and Indians have become sophisticated.
The paan-chewing dude won't be interested in VW anyway, so why bother.

By comparison, the latest Mercedes SLS AMG ad featuring M.Schumacher is elegance personified ... Oh So European!!

[mallumowgli]

Thats a totally idiotic and stupid ad. Cant understand how the collective brain of VW and the ad agency and the creators can be so dumb

Count me in if any of you want to take any actions. From my side, let check if any action can be initiated

Praveen

Edit : Just went through the website of Advertising Standards Council of India - they have a form for sending the complaints www.ascionline.org

@Shankar.balan : It would be better if you can send the complaint since this ad has appeared in Mumbai TOI

[shankar.balan]

thanks Praveen
am logging on right now and trying to get that complaint out
lets see what happens

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Edit : Just went through the website of Advertising Standards Council of India - they have a form for sending the complaints www.ascionline.org

@Shankar.balan : It would be better if you can send the complaint since this ad has appeared in Mumbai TOI

[ph03n!x]

I tried to send this link to VW - and guess what, their contact us form does not have a space to type a message to them!

[recshenoy]

+1

Totally ridiculous and stupid ad i must say. actually today morning when i saw this , i had taken down these lines about rhino in my mobile so that i can post them in official jokes thread

at least one liter Mineral bottle and 22 KMPL ad makes sense but all other are simple senseless IMHO