Quote Of The Day: This Is How You "Grasp For Salvation?" Edition

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

“My client was terrified. She slept with a machete next to her bed and she slept with mace. She could barely sleep or eat normally.”

Los Angeles attorney Nicholas Tepper explains why Toyota and its ad firm Saatchi & Saatchi went too far with their viral “The Other You” campaign. Tepper calls the effort a “terror tarketing campaign,” and according to his lawsuit [via Ad Age… follow the link to watch the ad], his client “became physically ill” because she was convinced “a disturbed and aggressive” stranger was en route to her house. No wonder Akio Toyoda recently admitted “Toyota has become too big and distant from its customers.” Thumbs down.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Don1967 Don1967 on Oct 03, 2009

    The decision at Toyota to run this campaign must have felt like one of those morning-after situations. You know, when you spend the first fifteen minutes after waking up trying to remember what happened last night? And then it slowly comes to you.... Omigod, did we actually run that ad?

  • NulloModo NulloModo on Oct 03, 2009

    I think the whole concept behind this campaign is brilliant from a performance art perspective, and I can even sort of work out how they imagined it would help sell cars by giving Toyota's reputation a bit of much needed edge in the youth market. However, that edge wouldn't come until publicity blew up, and for a public blowup something would have to go wrong, so, that is the fatal flaw in the plan... As for the so called 'victim', I believe it is nothing more than a money grab.

  • Panzerfaust Panzerfaust on Oct 03, 2009

    This is just the latest example of how 'edgy' is used to justify coarse vulgar and demeaning behavior.

  • Mpresley Mpresley on Oct 03, 2009

    This is what happens when you have children making both aesthetic and marketing decisions. The fact that they those responsible may look like adults is simply happenstance.

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