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Ford Upset by Web Ad Showing Decapitation

Sparky's

Sparky's

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 11, 2004
871
0
They get away with a lot more in Europe.... Anyone seen the "Ad" in question?

DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co. is upset by the release of an Internet advertisement that depicts the decapitation of a computer-animated cat by a power moonroof hatch, saying it didn't authorize the clip.

The ad for the Sportka, a hatchback sold in Europe, shows the realistic-looking orange cat climbing on top of the car and poking its head into the open moonroof, The Detroit News reported Sunday. The hatch slides closed, the cat struggles briefly and its headless body slides to the ground.
Click to expand...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...6&u=/ap/20040418/ap_on_hi_te/ford_internet_ad
 
Sun Baked said:
Yes they are quite realistic, and we were doing our best to keep it going around.

Thus...

And the Sportka pigeon ad..

[Note from Sun Baked: Caution - Portrays the death of a bird.]
Click to expand...

I saw the "Ben & Jerry" ad which is quite typical of them. A very funny ad, don't see anything to complain about that one.

The cat and pigeon ad are quite disturbing. I'm an animal lover so it is very sad. :( I do not see what the point would be for either. It would turn me against Ford.
 
WOW.

Holy crap they made those ads?

Geez... you killed the frikken animals.

WOW.


Damn Ford, I thought your SUV's were bad gas-milage... but this -- this is horrible.
 
First of all, no *real* animals were harmed. It's all special effects.

Second, there is no real point to them, it's just humour (keep in mind that in general, Europeans have a different sense of humour than Americans).

I for one, think that they are dead funny ads. I'm fed up of having birds poop on my windshield... :eek: :p :p
 
I thought the bird ad one was funny, but the cat one was kind of disturbing. It's more sadistic and disturbing seeing the cat actually struggle like that. At least with the bird, it just got flipped and tossed onto the pavement in a comedic fashion.
 
British humor is so ....dry. Cats: BEWARE

Powerbook G5 said:
I thought the bird ad one was funny, but the cat one was kind of disturbing. It's more sadistic and disturbing seeing the cat actually struggle like that. At least with the bird, it just got flipped and tossed onto the pavement in a comedic fashion.
Click to expand...
Neither cats nor pigeons are my favorite animals. :)
To be fair, the cat should have been given a
WARNING not to jump / piss on the car, you know,
like the windshield wiper swats at the cat. And a sign...
NO TRESPASSING
(including CATS)​

Then, if the cat doesn't take the WARNING... it would at least be FAIR.

Pigeon eradication :( that's what CATS are for. :mad:
Serves the cat right for not doing a proper job on pigeons,
forcing the poor little FORD to hood wink ;) the s*** dive bombing bird.

Now, had that cat been a PUPPY, :eek: I'd be up in arms over such a disturbing, twisted bloody ad.
But, it was a cat. :rolleyes: A cat. :cool: Yeah, still disturbing.
Rating: PG - 3 :p
Strictly enforced to protect
3 year old girls
unless accompanied by a parent​
 
i think the ad is in bad taste, but i think they intended it to get this kind of attention. it's exactly what they asked for in the first place, and the video is mysteriously "leaked" in the US when it's not supposed to be. The demographic that they're targeting wants, i'm sorry, an asskickin' car, cheap. But again I think they could have made their message clear without resorting to (virtual, i know) violence against animals... has PETA issued a statement yet? heh...

paul
 
paulwhannel said:
has PETA issued a statement yet? heh...

paul
Click to expand...

I think it would be PETAA in this case... being an Animated animal. How does PETA feel about the Roadrunner cartoons, I wonder... it would not surprise me if they came out against that, too.
 
If that's CG, thats some damn good cg. I'd like to see a full res version.

It was kinda sad though....but funny that the car is a "bada**"
 
I saw this awhile back.

I didn't think it was funny. I thought it was very disturbing.

But to each his own I guess...


(of course I could see how ford could be upset)
 
The bird one was rather amusing (in part because of the standard dislike of birds for what they drop on cars), but the cat one was just sick. As somebody said, there was no reason for the evil car to hate the cat--it hadn't done anything wrong--making it distrubingly malicious instead of funny.

I'd be livid if I were Ford; edgy viral marketing is one thing (note that they weren't complaining about the bird one), but pointless animal cruelty is just that.

Besides, what's the message here: Instead of "This car is a rebel with attitude--the Bart Simpson of compacts." (the bird one), you've got "This car has the mindset of drunken high-school dropout trailer trash who try to run over dogs and blow up bullfrogs with firecrackers and end up being arrested for some disturbing assault charge at the gas station they grow up to run."

Yeah, that's the car I wanna drive.
 
the cat one, yeah, i agree, very disturbing, but the pidgeon one, made me chuckle.

after seeing that cat one, i'd quite happily boycott Ford, they're sh**e anyways.

and as for PETA protesting against roadrunner...are you f***ing serious? it's a completely different thing. to a lot of people, that ad is real, so many millions of people in this world have no idea you can do something like that with computers. that's the issue. if it was a cartoon, fine, it'd be a lot less disturbing.
 
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...

evoluzione said:
the cat one, yeah, i agree, very disturbing, but the pidgeon one, made me chuckle.

after seeing that cat one, i'd quite happily boycott Ford, they're sh**e anyways.

and as for PETA protesting against roadrunner...are you f***ing serious? it's a completely different thing. to a lot of people, that ad is real, so many millions of people in this world have no idea you can do something like that with computers. that's the issue. if it was a cartoon, fine, it'd be a lot less disturbing.
Click to expand...
Also, notice how the sound effects are critical to telling the story, which adds to the realism of the whole thing. Without the power open & close, and the frantic scratching...the tragedy might go unnoticed.
Where can we get one of those little FORDS to park in my neighborhood - the neighbor's cat has been using the porch right outside of my bedroom window to advertise her availability to every Tom, dick and hairy within 2 miles :( ALL NIGHT LONG for the last week! :mad:
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, climb onto the nice little car...that's it, now peek inside...:D
 
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