GM Pulls ‘Jack Flash’ Corvette Ad
Protests from seven safety groups prompted General Motors Corp. 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.
Source: Reuters
Thanks to djmeistr for submitting the news