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Cars & Transportation

Audi green police car commercial ignites controversy

People's World
Friday, 12 February, 2010
By People's World
14

Controversy was sparked recently when Audi aired a new car commercial featuring “green police” arresting polluters for environmental infractions. The ad which ran during last Sunday’s Super Bowl, promoted Audi’s new car, the A3 TDI diesel.

In the imagined green police state, checkpoints were set up to enforce strict environmental regulations. Predictably, the new car with the fuel efficient Audi “green” diesel engine was waved forward with a smile. On the other hand, violators were charged with throwing away batteries, using plastic credit cards, and overheating swimming pool water.

Some argued the ad had “fascist” overtones, both for its satirical characterization of the environmental movement and also for the not-so-subtle links to Germany’s fascist past. The Audi corporation apparently had strong ties to Hitler and the Nazi movement. “Green police” was also the name of the Nazi uniformed police force. Graham Jukes of San Francisco’s Brasscheck TV wrote: “Millions of dollars were spent conceiving, producing and running this ad during last Sunday’s Super Bowl. Did you find it funny? I sure didn’t. And when you consider that the advertiser helped itself to slave labor during the Nazi era, it’s a whole lot less funny.”

The New York Times commented: “This misguided spot put the ‘mental’ in ‘environmental’.”

San Francisco’s tough pro-environment Mayor Gavin Newsom, on the other hand, tweeted during the Super Bowl, “That ‘green police’ Audi commercial hits home.”

The mayor and many others saw the ad as simply a humorous effort to make an environmentally friendly point and sell cars at the same time.

The Plastics Division of the American Chemical Company took offense to the demonizing of plastic in the ad and immediately put up a web site promoting its eco-friendly attributes. “Many people,” they say, may be “surprised at the environmental benefits of plastics.”

Gregory Unruh, writing for the Huffington Post, says the ad cleverly points to an ongoing debate over the definition of sustainability: “In all seriousness, the ad captures a very real and ongoing struggle to define what exactly sustainability means for industry. It’s widely recognized that ‘sustainability’ is a term that can mean different things to everyone and every business.”

Audi’s goal, then, is to define the word on its own terms with respect to cars. He continues, “For decades, diesel cars in the U.S. have had reputations as polluters, conjuring images of black smoke billowing from the stacks of freight trucks on the highway. But Audi and other European manufactures are working to change the U.S. attitude and mindset toward diesels.”

The bottom line is that business is attempting to define the word on its own profit-friendly terms and, as Unruh concludes, given the huge sums spent on Super Bowl advertising, “the stakes are rising.”

And who cares if the ad conjures symbolism of Germany’s not-so-distant Nazi past: apparently not Audi, especially if it meets the corporate bottom line.

Author: Joe Sims, People’s World

People's World
The People's World is a national, grassroots newspaper and the direct descendant of the Daily Worker. Published by Long View Publishing Co., the PW reports on and analyzes the pressing issues and struggles of the day: for workers' rights, peace, equality, social and economic justice, democracy, civil liberties, women's rights, protection of the environment, and more.
View all posts by People's World

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  • http://www.enviro-space.com/ Simon

    It's satisfying to see that I weren't the only one who thought this advertisement was stupid.

    • http://www.stalbans-builders.co.uk/ St Albans Builders

      The words green and diesel simply do not mix.

  • GreenBlog

    You can also discuss this topic in our forum: Stupid “green” car commercial from Audi

  • greenbieangie

    Well, I did not take the ad seriously and thought it quite humurous, was that wrong?

  • http://www.sunwindproducts.com/ Bryant

    I thought the ad was pretty good. Didn't know Audi had a Nazi past, thank you for the info.

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  • jadek94

    I am totally with the whole green movement, I just bought a hybrid and had it shipped with a company that is said to be “eco-friendly”, Auto Shipping Network (http://www.autoshippingnetwork.com. But I really don't think the ad was that big of a deal, it was funny, but I do see where the controversy is.

  • http://www.nicecargames.com Car Games

    Well, I did not take the ad seriously and thought it quite humurous, was that wrong?

  • risi13

    Their ads are hilarious! I saw the first three last week online and I laughed my tears off. The part where they criminal check a guy for a light bulb crackdown is my favorite.

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  • http://www.autodo.net Peter

    I have not seen the ad but i like the car

  • http://www.usedtransmission.org Used Transmission

    I'll back again for sure, thanks for great article :D

  • http://www.centralcontracts.com/manufacturer/car/alfa-romeo Mercedes Mike

    What is that little creature at the start of the video? Is it a little ant eater? This video is a bit too much…

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