Volkswagen incites negative buzz by including 'vibrator' in new print ad [w/video]

Volkswagen isn't afraid to do ads that are a little different... or even a lot different; this is no secret, nor is it new. An ad in various national papers in India, though, including the Times of India, might have gone a black box too far in search of a buzz-worthy response. First, some context: two years ago VW ran a national, full-page ad in India for its Vento sedan, and attached to the ad was a little black plastic box. A light sensor in the box detected when the ad page was opened and a pre-recorded message began saying good things about the Vento. The voice stopped talking when the page was turned and things went dark again.

It got people's attention, making waves on ad blogs and in forums. Fast-forward to the present, and VW has gone back to its black-box routine. In a two-page ad for the Polo and Vento, the first page is bare but for the headline "Feel the shiver of excitement?" Turn to the second page, and the light-sensitive box on the lower left in the picture above goes to work again, only this time the box doesn't start talking, it just starts vibrating.

The ad has got people talking on Twitter and elsewhere, but they're using different words. Instead of "neat" and "innovative," this time it's "Fail," "Volkswagen's vibrating Rowdy Rathore," "freaked me out!" and "I was wondering what the vibrator was doing in the [newspaper]." Then, only if readers focused on staying on message, which it seems most did not, it was easy to make the unsavory connection that neither shivering nor vibration is are things you're looking for in your car.

Still, did we mention that people are talking? So if "any press is good press," perhaps good press is now vibrating press. At least in India. Check out the vibrating print ad for yourself in the video available below.
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