VW Apologizes Over Racist Golf Ad, Takes Measures To Prevent Such Things From Happening Again

‘I’m sorry’ is well embedded in Volkswagen’s vocabulary, with the company having apologized a lot over these past few years, whether it was for the infamous Dieselgate scandal, making Nazi-like remarks or accusing board members of leaking confidential information.

The latest apologies from the Wolfsburg brand came in the light of a racist Golf ad, launched on social media a few weeks ago and pulled down recently.

The short video promoted the new-gen compact hatchback in a very questionable manner (by using black people as puppets) and went on to spark a lot of criticism.

Rather than sweeping it under the mat, Volkswagen has taken action to prevent such things from happening in the future. Thus, they will improve the process of approval of new ads, boost training on ethics and culture, ensure heterogeneity and diversify their teams, and create a horizontal social media organization for enhanced response and control.

Video: Watch The Controversial VW Golf Mk8 Ad Here

Hiltrud D. Werner

“On behalf of the Board of Management, I want to formally apologize for offending people as a result of a lack of intercultural sensitivity. This was a violation of values for which Volkswagen stands”, said Hiltrud D. Werner, member of the VW Group Board or Management responsible for Integrity and Legal Affairs. “We can state that racist intentions did not play any role whatsoever. We found a lack of sensitivity and procedural errors (after analyzing around 400 files with a volume of more than 16.5 GB and conducting internal interviews with employees and the external agencies involved). And we are now taking targeted steps in response”, she added.

The company’s chief marketing officer, Jochen Sengpiehl, said: “The critical point is that we failed to spot the racist elements of this video. I want to apologize for this error of judgement, also on behalf of the team. A key finding of the investigation is that we need an out-of-context review. Each clip must be unequivocal and non-critical, even without the general context. I will personally make sure that the actions resolved will be implemented in day-to-day business operations.”

“I again wish to apologize to everyone whose feelings have been hurt by this thoughtless spot. That was a wake-up call. It’s our duty to fight racism every day”, commented Jurgen Stackmann, member of the VW Passenger Cars Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and After Sales.