Opinion: leave politics out of hybrid ads

I don't know about you but I am not a fan of car advertising that brings in politics. Just show me what the car looks like and tell me about the features. That's all. The ad above of a sheikh crying is by Saatchi & Saatchi. Below the fold is a viral video of a Prius LITERALLY driving a man taken hostage by a terrorist away to freedom. Do these ads make you want to buy a Prius?
[Source: Ad Rants via Prius Owner's Group, YouTube]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Travis Rassat 2:25PM (9/17/2007)
These can't possibly be real...
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detroit9000 2:28PM (9/17/2007)
Yes.
Also, don't forget to check your muffler bearings on the way home, Lascelles. They have been found to be the #1 reducer of exhaust system efficiency.
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Phil L. 2:35PM (9/17/2007)
C'mon - He said it was a viral, clearly an amateur version out for some fun of questionable taste...
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Chris M 3:04PM (9/17/2007)
I thought the "hostage" ad was rather clever, and it emphasized the quiet performance of the Prius in "stealth mode". However, I don't think that ad by itself will sell many cars!
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Tim 3:27PM (9/17/2007)
They are trying to pick up on "don't feed the terrorists" and "free ourselves from middle-east oil" but I don't thing this is the best way to get this message across. How about a picture of all our troops coming home alive and driving Electric Cars?
By the way, when will we know that we have won the war on terror? Will it be perpetual like the “war on drugs” the “war on poverty” or the “war on cancer”? Or will we just give up ALL of our freedoms and personal privacy for security?
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Golden Boy 3:52PM (9/17/2007)
"Do these ads make you want to buy a Prius?"
Yes.
I'm a green car advocate because of the jihad, not because of the global warming scam.
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Golden Boy 3:53PM (9/17/2007)
"Or will we just give up ALL of our freedoms and personal privacy for security"
Says the man posting on a public blog without fear of reprisal.
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Tim 4:01PM (9/17/2007)
GoldenBoy- So far, so good said the Jewish Germans as they voted in Adolph who collected the guns in the name of security… The rest is history. I heard somewhere that history can and does repeat itself.
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MarkR 4:05PM (9/17/2007)
"Do these ads make you want to buy a Prius?"
No, The Prius is still ugly. But, it did make me think about it a little longer than usual. Still waiting for the hybrid Tacoma 4x4.
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Domenick 5:28PM (9/17/2007)
That can't be real, can it?
It might have been a lot funnier if it didn't play on racist stereotypes.
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Golden Boy 5:53PM (9/17/2007)
"So far, so good said the Jewish Germans as they voted in Adolph who collected the guns in the name of security… The rest is history. I heard somewhere that history can and does repeat itself."
I get it, Bush is a Nazi. How original!
I'm still hardpressed to find any losses of freedoms, except perhaps the freedom to gab on the phone with overseas terrorists.
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Dave 6:29PM (9/17/2007)
Golden Boy,
I've got my own little jihad against oil as well. So I agree, I like the add and it works for me.
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Tony Belding 6:50PM (9/17/2007)
I think the first one (not the video) is pretty clever and could be effective -- if the Toyota Prius wasn't 100% powered from gasoline. That sort of undermines the message.
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Tim 7:29PM (9/17/2007)
Golden Boy - If you or someone you know or has ever heard of is ever tossed into a US jail without charge or bond and tortured, you may ask yourself what ever happened to habeas corpus. Then again, they don’t have to answer… http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/10/17/olbermann-the-day-habeas-corpus-died/
Everyone believes “It won’t happen to me” until it happens to them. So much for the US being the last bastion of freedom. Now it’s just another police state.
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mike 8:23PM (9/17/2007)
I Like It.
Rememeber Lascelles,
OBL declared Economic War against America. That's why he attacked our "World TRADE Center".
If the Bastard want's to fight Economic War I say, let's fight it and Win It.
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Joseph 8:58PM (9/17/2007)
The youtube vid obviously is fake, but I think the ad on top is!!!
Definitely not a good strategy for selling hybrids. It shouldn't go beyond, "Reducing Dependance on Foreign Oil."
I bet Toyota was testing the waters with the ad showed on top. These kind of commercials would, for sure, cause alot of controversy.
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oobflyer 10:50PM (9/17/2007)
Can you picture a round table with a group of mild-mannered professional Japanese businessmen discussing whether or not to publish an ad that might offend the Muslems? Ha! I love it! The Japanese have big balls after all...
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Beeri 3:17AM (9/18/2007)
I disagree-- I think that politics have as much to do with buying a car as worries about the environment.
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Dex 6:59AM (9/18/2007)
Beeri is right; there really is no arguing otherwise.
But about the print ad: I don't see what's so offensive about it. The implication is that this man is an oil producer, and that the Prius, due to its fuel economy, is 'unfortunate' for him. Seems fairly innocuous to me. There have been plenty of ads that imply certain cars are 'unfortunate' for gas station owners, etc.
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compy386 8:23AM (9/18/2007)
I hope to god that print ad is not real. Toyota can't be that dumb. It's one of the most racist ads I've ever seen. If it has to be explained to you why it's racist, please get come culture.
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