Oversensitive viewers or a disrespectful ad campaign? That question lingers above the uproar caused by Honda’s new television and internet spot for the revised 2014 Civic compact model due to fact that it used imagery from Detroit’s bankruptcy to sell the car.
The Japanese company aired a series of ads named “Today Is Pretty Great,” which opens with a blues musician singing about what a bad day it is before showing scenes from bankruptcy and protesters walking outside the federal court in Detroit, and quickly moving on to the pleasure that is the redesign Civic sedan Coupe models.
The ad reportedly didn’t sit well with Detroiters and after Detroit News posted a story about the controversy last Friday, Honda decided to remove the imagery from the spot that first aired on January 8.
“The slight change we made to the commercial simply reflects our desire to remove anything that would get in the way our uplifting message,” the company’s Detroit-based spokesman, Steve Kinkade told the Detroit newspaper. “The original intent of the commercial obviously was not intended to represent Detroit or the challenges experienced by the city, its people or our industry.”
According to the same report, Honda’s change of heart came only hours after the Rev. Charles Williams II slammed the ad for kicking down the city of Detroit.
“They’re using our pain for their pleasure to promote Japanese automobiles while we are suffering in part because of the decline of American automobiles from foreign automakers,” said Williams, who is president of the National Action Network’s Michigan chapter.
“It’s absolutely a slap in the face to use that in a commercial to promote a (company) that basically has hurt Detroit,” he added.
Williams wasn’t the only prominent face in Detroit to be annoyed from the commercial. Mike Bernacchi, a University of Detroit Mercy marketing professor, told Detroit News: “It’s a body punch to the lower region,” he said. “Who would be happy seeing this message? My question is, ‘Why it was made and what are the markets they hope to alienate?’ ”
What do you think?
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