Fact check: Viral video of a driver attempting suicide bombing is spoof, not Volkswagen's car ad
A video showing a man driving a car and attempting a suicide bombing is viral on social media. The video ends with the..
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Nov 2020 11:22 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A video showing a man driving a car and attempting a suicide bombing is viral on social media. The video ends with the tagline "Polo, Small but Tough". Users claim that it is an advertisement for Volkswagen's Polo series cars.
Many social media users, including Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga shared this video and claimed that it was a "terrorist commercial ad".
FACT CHECK:
This video was not advertised by Volkswagen but is a "spoof" from 2005.
NewsMeter performed a keyword search and found an article by The Guardian from 2005. Paul Buckett, a Volkswagen spokesman, told The Guardian that this video was not advertised by the company and is" incredibly bad taste to depict suicide bombers".
The article further reads, "The ad is believed to be the work of a duo experienced in spoof ads, known as Lee and Dan, who also make real commercials. Dan told the digital newsletter of media experts Brand Republic: 'The ad got out accidentally and spread like wildfire.' It reflected 'what people see in the news every day. The car is the hero that protects innocent people from someone with very bad intentions. We're sorry if it has caused any offence."
The Guardian tracked down the people behind the commercial (Lee Ford and Dan Brooks) and reported that they admitted that they "had created it "on spec," in the hopes of landing some advertising business as part of a showreel for big ad executives".
The same was also reported by Jalopnik and Campaign Live. Volkswagen's lawyers wrote a letter to the creators and stated that the ad is a "misrepresentation of the Volkswagen brand, and that it brings the brand into disrepute".
Paul Buckett, head of press and public relations at Volkswagen Group UK, said: "Our overall concern is for the potential damage to the company and we have to take some action."
Evidently, the viral video is a spoof. It was created by Lee Ford and Dan Brooks in 2005. Hence, the claim is false.
