I’ve commented before that I take a keen interest in advertising at least from the perspective of analysing it for which some are good and others are downright awful. Here’s an example of an awful advert at least in my opinion. It’s broadcast on German TV, not sure if it’s broadcast here as I watch next to no British TV these days.

When I first watched it I didn’t get it which is unusual for me as I’m usually quite hot at this sort of stuff but as I didn’t then that’s the first sign it’s a bad advert. If you want to sell someone something, it’s a good idea to explain it to them, unless of course you’re being deliberately vague and producing a meaningless advert that sometimes works as well.

Anyway, after a few attempts I got it. I already understood that it was trying to say that Renault cars are very safe but the imagery didn’t click. Eventually it did and I felt somewhat insulted but equally bemused at how this could possibly get by as an advertising strategy, at least outside of the confines of the French Republic.

If you don’t get it as I didn’t first time around here’s what it means. Sausage = German, Sushi = Japanese, cracker = who knows? Bread = French. There’s also a different version containing Pizza = Italian and Sandwich = presumably us lot in Britain and a hamburger = presumably the Yanks. So as all these bits of food hit the barrier and blow up or crumple to nothing, the sturdy bit of French bread has a bit of a dent but everything else is OK. So lets get this straight, Renault are saying that drive a German, British, Italian, American or Japanese car and it’s going to blow up the moment you hit something so drive a French one and you’ll be safe.

Now I could understand them broadcasting this in France, bit of the old national pride to build on, always good for loving up the local market, but to broadcast this in Germany and who knows where else and say that their countries cars are crap isn’t just insulting, it’s a truly awful way to try and sell a product.

The upshot of it is that the last car I’d wish to buy would be a Renault purely on the basis that they think I’m going to spend my money on their product while insulting my country. Admittedly we don’t really make that many cars in Britain any more, not British ones anyway but from Mrs Penguin’s perspective to insult German cars is a big no no. In all fairness we can’t stand Renault anyway but that’s purely down to what they do in Formula 1 but please do tell me which idiot thought it would be a good way to sell cars by insulting the people of countries that you’re trying to sell them to?