Hyundai had a not-so-brilliant idea for a TV ad: Highlight the low emissions of its new ix35 crossover vehicle by showing a guy trying to commit suicide could not do so in this car.
After getting blasted by social media — as well as traditional media — Hyundai pulled the ad. Even though the commercial only aired in Great Britain, Hyundai received negative feedback around the world.
Here’s the ad.
I can definitely see why they pulled the ad. This commercial wasn’t funny at all and it actually made me feel pretty depressed. I guess it was supposed to be a joke but suicide is a harsh topic to ever joke about, especially airing someone attempting to commit on television. I wouldn’t want my little brother or sister to see this and ask what he’s doing just sitting in his car in the garage. On top of all that, even if it didn’t bother me so much, it still wouldn’t motivate me to want to buy this car at all. They should’ve advertised it as better for the environment, not less likely to assist in a suicide. This is by far one of the worst and most disturbing ads I’ve ever seen.
I find it hard to believe that a commercial such as this could even make it onto television. The fact that no one realized how terrible this commercial was prior to it be used is extremely surprising. Not only does this commercial do a terrible job of making someone want to go out and buy a Hyundai, but it also looks bad for the company as a whole. Suicide is no way to advertise any product and is a serious problem that is not to joked around about at all, especially on television where the audience can include any person.