Jihad ad. Real Jiha-ha-ha funny, or brand disconnect?

No topic is off-limits for me, just make it funny. But when you come across something like this on Drudge, you understand why advertising gets a bad rap. An Ohio Mitsubishi dealership intends to run a Jihad radio spot in support of an upcoming sales event:

“Sales representatives “will be wearing burqas all weekend long,” the ad says. One of the vehicles on sale “can comfortably seat up to 12 jihadists in the back.”

The production company, Dennis Auto Point, explained the spot this way:

“This is one where we feel we’re taking a bull’s-eye on terrorists. After all the nonsense that the terrorists put the public through, they’re fair game.”

Oh. Why didn’t you just say so then. Forget the Marines. Guess we just needed post to defeat terroism. Getting the terrorists with this spot? Thought you were supposed to be selling cars first. In this case, you’re also doing it by capitalizing on the feelings over an important issue, usually the strategy for everything we do - but this has nothing to do with what you’re selling.

The worst part though? It’s not good. It’s not even, ‘not bad.’ Burqas? So then all your salespeople are women I assume? That’ll be a first for a dealership, no? What’s the matter, didn’t wanna work in the phrase car bomb because that would be going too far? Can’t wait to hear the spot, but if that’s the final script, I already don’t need to hear more. Furthermore,

“everybody in the room thought it was very funny, extremely aggressive.”

Really. Guess Mitsubishi corporate would greenlight this spot no problem, right? Not even if it was done as well as this unofficial VW spot. Bad taste maybe, but at least that was aggressive and creative. And on the other end of the spectrum in the category, you have what I think is a really funny radio spot for dealerships with the Trunk Monkey.

However, if you’re gonna take advantage of a hot-button issue, at least go all the way. Don’t be half-assed. Wanna exploit the Iraq War and make a positive name for yourselves? Offer anyone in the listening area who served in Iraq a free car. Or offer to pay off their current car loan. Think that wouldn’t build loyal customers?

Considering Ohio is a state among those that has suffered the highest casualties in the war, by running this you can forget about creating loyal customers - you just lost angry ones.

This is a perfect example of a brand disconnected from its sales force on the street. The local guys who think they know better than corporate what works and what doesn’t. They don’t want to follow national messaging and instead opt to spend it on something of their own creation. There’s a reason automakers hire ad agencies to prepare creative for dealers - because for the most part, this is what happens when they do it themselves.

Brands are only as strong as their weakest link. In this case, it’s where the rubber meets the road at the dealership. It may be that dealership’s ‘brand’ and it may be their local budget, but it’s also Mitsubishi’s brand they harm too.

Tags: advertising, brands, viral, Mitsubishi