1. Sports

Discuss in my forum

David Fiedler

Audi's Anti-Bike, Anti-Everything Commercial

By , About.com GuideSeptember 30, 2009

Follow me on:

Okay, so now Audi's into bashing transportational cyclists, mass-transit riders and others in their advertising, especially with the "do your part" commercial that aired during breaks in football games over the weekend.

"Many people are trying to do their part. . ." intones the announcer, as clips show a guy getting jostled by strangers on a crowded bus; a scared-looking cyclist in a suit swerving and getting buzzed by a car as rain pours down around him; and a dorky guy on a Segway trying to manuever on a crowded sidewalk.

"Some just have more fun doing it" the announcer continues as a shiny white Audi blows past an older station wagon slogging up a hill with a bumper sticker that says "powered by vegetable oil." Then the words "Audi - Clean Diesel" flash on the screen with information on mpg and reduced emissions.

Har har, Audi. That's rich. Guess what? You just insulted the groups of people most likely to be concerned about the environment and respond to a clean diesel ad by factoring it into their car buying decision.

I ride my bike to work daily, endorse mass transit AND have two cars that will need replacing in the next two years. Audi is not going to be a choice for either new vehicle, thanks to this terrible commercial that makes it seem like any mode of getting around other than in a car is weird, unpleasant, dorky or dangerous.

Comments

September 30, 2009 at 7:34 am
(1) hans :

Indeed very stupid commercial.

Riding your bicycle in the rain earns more respect than this car who is still a polluter of course.

September 30, 2009 at 4:37 pm
(2) franz :

Audi…the Joy of Heedless Arrogance. We all remember the porcupine/Porsche difference joke — I guess now the pricks are everywhere, they’ve taken over the whole unhappy conglomerate. Too bad for me, I’ve always appreciated intelligent and honest engineering, which can be ennobling… or brutalizing, ja meine Audi Freunde?

October 8, 2009 at 4:07 pm
(3) Fred :

Who’s going to have the guts and gumption to contact Audi about this commercial and make those Krauts realize how many people they are turning off.

October 8, 2009 at 7:39 pm
(4) John :

The Car Manufacturers are getting Scared not to many People buying their Petrochemical Polluting Vehicles any more. This is all part of the Propaganda Machine to somehow make out that you are a Dope for wanting to use Public Transport or use the Bicycle for Transport. In Europe more and more of us is foregoing Buying Cars and Buying Bikes instead for Utilitarian Cycling and The Cars are getting left in the Showrooms.Dublin Ireland

October 9, 2009 at 11:56 pm
(5) Linda :

As a cyclist I saw this ad and was furious! I have been splashed like the cyclist in the ad. I have been on crowded buses and on crowded sidewalks and I am PROUD to say I enjoyed every minute I was doing something to help save this planet. Audi can sink in their own garbage! I will do everything I can to pass the word to boycott them!

April 1, 2010 at 10:57 pm
(6) cris :

the above link was removed, here’s the new one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z2J7ipxVv0

August 3, 2010 at 9:23 pm
(7) Todd :

It’s a commercial for goodness sakes!! It’s not looking down on all those people just wants to show how fun it is to drive an Audi. I’m sorry but buses stink and riding a bike is fun if its for fun.

Leave a Comment


Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.