Ah, I feel so much more secure knowing the 7 Safety Groups are out here in America watching out for us.

If something/anything is not Right Down the Middle these days, some group is gonna p iss and moan.
BR, David

GM pulls "Jack Flash" Corvette ad after protest

25 August 2004, 12:58pm ET

By Michael Ellis

DETROIT, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Protests from seven safety groups prompted General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) to pull a television ad that shows a young boy driving a Corvette sports car so recklessly that it goes airborne, officials of the automaker said on Wednesday.

The ad, featuring the Rolling Stones song "Jumpin' Jack Flash," has aired repeatedly during the Olympics. The groups, including Consumers Union and the Center for Auto Safety, complained that it was "the most dangerous" spot they have seen in recent years.

Directed by singer Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie, the spot shows a boy's daydream of racing the Corvette through downtown streets and through a construction pipe. The safety groups said in a letter to GM released on Wednesday that the spot could encourage children to take their parents' cars for a drive.

"This ad is certainly among the most dangerous, anti-safety messages to be aired on national television in recent years," the safety groups said in a joint letter sent to GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner. "It is doubtful that General Motors would condone the beer industry showing a "dream sequence" of 10-year-old children having an after-school "kegger"," the letter said.

The ad does include a warning that drivers should operate the vehicle safely and must have a license, but the automaker decided to stop airing the spot, GM spokesman Joe Jacuzzi said on Wednesday.

"We decided to pull it due to responses and feedback we received," Jacuzzi said. "It's a big ad, and it's been airing for a while, but we've got a whole campaign."

The Corvette ad is one of many spots GM prepared for the Summer Olympics. GM is the largest television advertiser during the Summer Games, spending 10 times more during the Aug. 13-29 Olympics than it typically spends during a comparable period.

The seven groups who signed the letter include Consumers Union, Public Citizen, Center for Auto Safety, Consumer Federation of America and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Groups have also protested controversial ads or marketing campaigns from other automakers in recent years.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) was targeted when an ad showing a cat poking its head through the sunroof of the SportKa, only to be decapitated when the roof closes, found its way onto the Internet. But that spot, which Ford said it never authorized and never aired, is still shown on the Internet, where it has created a buzz.

Chrysler (NYSECX)(DECXGn) pulled its sponsorship of the "Lingerie Bowl", which featured models in scanty outfits playing football and aired during halftime of the Super Bowl in February.

http://finance.lycos.com/qc/news/sto...story=43305680

 

Sigh... No one has a sense of humor anymore...

 

Commies!

 

Sorry, but I too questioned the premise of that ad - I just felt it projected the wrong image for Corvette.

 

Haven't had time to watch any tv lately so I haven't seen the ad yet. Does anyone have a link?

 

.... yes yes yes.. we must be protected from ourselves all the time.. thus ensuring the world is just a little less fun. Way to go... freaking bunny-huggers.

 

how about we all grow up and get a life, are we saying the the American public is so stupid that they cant tell real life from fantasy,
I guess this is true that is why in a Barbie commercial it says Barbie does not move on her own.

It is a sad sad day for America. people need to take responcibility for them selfs and get some brains,
Just my 0.02

 

Does not surprise me in this day and age.

If those same people in those protesting groups would now just put those friggin cell phones down while they them selves are out here driving..................

 

As far as I am concerned the only thing wrong with the ad was that the girl in the other car should have waved not winked.

If it had been done with adult drivers it may have raised concern over reckless driving, etc. With the kids driving it was obviously a fantacy. Kids will see a LOT worse in GTA and other video games...

 

 

Chrysler (NYSECX)(DECXGn) pulled its sponsorship of the "Lingerie Bowl", which featured models in scanty outfits playing football and aired during halftime of the Super Bowl in February.


Bring back the Lingerie Bowl!!

 

That was one great ad. I don't know about you guys, but that kid hit most of my car fantasies when I was his age. Shame on GM for listening to these pansies and surrendering to the safety *****. I suppose that these people really think that a car can be driven on top of a construction tube, thus "...the spot could encourage children to take their parents' cars for a drive." What kind of logic is that?

 

I wouldn't want my kids watching that commercial.

 

Well said

 

What a bunch of B.S. The only thing that's wrong with the commercial is the idiot director has the kid stomping on the gas pedal at the end while the car comes to a sliding halt.

 

The same groups should have the Wizard of Oz pulled from television.

Dorothy ignores every tornado safety precaution by not getting in the cellar, she's seen flying around in a house, and she even squashes a witch. Not to mention halucenogenic flying monkeys, melting witches, on and on.

That ad was about as real as the movie so why not pull OZ.

If kids didn't know that was surreal and a fantesy - why are parents still letting them watch cartoons on TV? Are we supposed to believe there is a real six foot black mouse walking around in Disney World?

They need to get a life.

 

I felt the same way - I knew some group would pressure GM to pull it.

WTF tho - is that the best GM can come up with to advertise the C6....pretty sad IMO

 

well, back when I was a kid, we were encouraged to use our imaginations. But, apparently that was wrong. Now we must prevent our children from ever having fantasies because.. well.. errm.. it might encourage them to do well in life to achieve their goals and make those fantasies into realities. (btw, I'm one of those kids that dreamnt of the Corvette and I made my life such that now.. I have that dream parked in my garage. Booyah) So.. be sure to tell your children "Never have dreams" That will solve all those non-existant problems.

Oh wait.. the irony of it all... these saftey groups are apparently having their own problem with reality versus fantasy, in that they make up non-existant problems because of a potential problem with a KID having a dream. AWESOME JOB guys.

 

I thought it was great when I saw it.... for those who havent.. all I could dig up was this "promo". Its only part of the commerical:

http://64.49.250.212/images2/a_boys_dream.mov

 

posted in the wrong section