This Volkswagen advertisement about a suicide bomber is an old spoof video. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 26, 2020
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the new commercial advertisement of Volkswagen. This advertisement shows a suicide bomber travelling to a heavily crowded coffee shop in his Volkswagen Polo car. When suicide bomber pushes the button to detonate his bomb, the blast is contained within the car. The ad ends: ‘Polo. Small but tough’. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Volkswagen Polo new commercial advertisement on a suicide bomber.
Fact: This video shows an old Volkswagen spoof advertisement, created by the two London based creative designers in 2005. Volkswagen company clarified that the advertisement commercial on suicide bomber is not created by their company. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the advertisement shared in the post, we found an article published by ‘The Guardian’ news website on ‘23 January 2005’. In the article, it is mentioned as the spoof advertisement of Volkswagen Polo created in 2005. This advertisement was made by the two London based creative designers Lee Ford and Dan Brooks. Volkswagen organization showed their disgust at the spoof advertisement video on Volkswagen Polo. Volkswagen, in a media statement, had said that they were looking to take legal action against the creators of this commercial.
Volkswagen did not seek damages, after Lee Ford and Dan Brooks agreed to formally apologize for creating commercial. Other articles about this advertisement can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, this Volkswagen advertisement about a suicide bomber is an old spoof video.