Super Bowl Sunday means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To the football fan, it means hours of thrilling competition; to hosts and hostesses, it means hours of preparing wings, beer, and dips; and to almost everyone, it means not getting up from the couch during commercial breaks. Super Bowl commercials attract as many, if not more, viewers than the game itself, and audiences continue to laughing out loud while watching their favorite ads via YouTube. Given the huge role that social media has taken on in the world of advertising, marketing, and...well, everything, it is not surprising that many companies are launching Super Bowl social media campaigns, posting their ads on social media video sites, such as YouTube.
One such ad has caused a lot of controversy lately, according to mediabistro.com, due to its reference to a group that was affiliated with a Nazi group during WWII. Audi's campaign, the "Green Police", picture officers that appear in a series of mock PSAs, targeted at teaching people to make smart choices that protect our environment. The video is very funny, and most people of younger generations may not even make the connection, however the German car company is now at risk for a possible communication crisis emergency.
Hill & Knowlton US Director of Risk Management and Crisis Communication Chris Gidez comments, saying, "I think it's a stretch to say it's fatal to the campaign. I think that's overblown." On the other side, Help A Reporter Out Founder Peter Shankman tweeted that, "Nothing good can ever come from a PR campaign involving Nazis." Also, Media Bistro makes a great case, pointing out that a German company like Audi may should want to be very careful about making any sort of small connection with a Nazi group. Oops?
The real question is, is this connection even that big of a deal, and will it make any kind of an impact on Audi's campaign? Well, for one thing, it is causing people to already forget about the point of the campaign to begin with...what was it? Oh ya, saving the planet...I wonder what our friend The Reputation Doctor, Mike Paul, would say about this crisis. We'll ask and get back to you!
Check out the Green Police "Napkin" PSA from youtube.com here (warning, it may cause hunger):
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