Volkswagen: Fictional Uncle Edward Has Died Six Times This Year
January 15, 2019 61 Comments
It can be fun to play hooky from school/work/your responsibilities. But I’ve never made up a death in the family to play hooky. It just seems like tempting fate, because you never know when someone will actually die. That doesn’t stop the family in this Volkswagen Atlas spot though. Zach has to leave school because his poor Uncle Edward has just passed away for the sixth time this year. Of course, the family doesn’t even have an Uncle Edward, and they go to an amusement park. Is it what Uncle Edward would have wanted? What if he was a serious, straight-laced man?
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Classless commercial!! Leaves a very poor taste in my mouth.
This is a terrible message to kids. Why would adults encourage kids, or anyone for that matter to lie?!!! About someone dying too?!! Couldn’t you have found a different way to advertise?
Stacey
Terrible message being sent to kids.
Kind of funny that Volkswagen the same company that lied about emissions and got caught is showing their ethics by promoting lying to the school about a death in the family.
Bad taste after what they did
I agree!!!
I was thinking the same thing, they should be promoting some honesty after their emissions scandal, but apparently it is not in their company culture to promote virtue
I think it’s terrible that they show on tv how the parents lie and actually have their children lie
In Britain if you take your kids out of school you must pay a 50 pound fine to take them on Holiday we need that here in the US.
Terrible commercial!!!!
Perhaps more of you who see the connection linking a company that feels lying to their customers about emissions and who knows what else and unsurprisingly has no second thoughts about portraying kids as accomplices in this lack of morality will do what I did and not only call VW to voice your displeasure but spread the word that this is not a company worthy of your honestly earned income.
I’d love to know what advertising company thought this was “cute” and wonder what went on in the minds of those company shills who also happen to be parents. I feel sorry for their children.
Do you think any VW employees will stand up to their bosses and say they’re embarrassed to be associated with this type of thinking? Nah.
I lost my son recently so I think it is in poor taste to advertise by making light of death.
So sorry to hear, disgusting commercial.
I too was appalled at this commercial. As a public school teacher, I fight parent apathy about school attendance every day. Now, Volkswagen has effectively told parents it’s OK to lie AND that attending school is less important than going to an amusement park. You can bet that I will be bad-mouthing this company to anyone who will listen!! Argh!!
I would love to see the AFT and NEA join in a national condemnation of VW for even thinking this is cute. And no, don’t even suggest it’s about PC running amok…that’s skirting the issue that we don’t lie and don’t condone it when our children do…well at least most of us outside of Washington don’t.
I totally agree and will be making my opinion heard. What are they thinking?!
So agree with you. Fellow teacher here!
These are the same parents that will come to school and raise he** when their kids fail their next set of exams.
Thank you volkswagon for this fine example of the degradation of society. Horrible.
i don’t think is funny at all. and i love volkwagen automobiles.
I don’t appreciate you making “fun” of someone that dies and taking days off. Terribly tacky and thoughtless.
I think this commercial is disgusting and the worst car commercial I ever seen. It sends a terrible message and it’s just wrong!
It is not all VW fault most likely they had a Ad company pitch the tv ad to VW they liked and had it made we nee to find the company that made it for VW.
Where can you go to voice disgust for this commercial? I am appalled! What are people thinking?
I’ll NEVER BUY A VOLKSWAGEN FROM A COMPANY THAT makes a joke about a death in the family… To sell a vehicle. You should not either.
As an educator who deals with chronic absenteeism, your commercial greatly disturbs me. Let’s skip work, school, and lie. Way to encourage a strong work ethic. I’m sure you’ll be fine if your employees do that 6 times a year!
VERY POOR TASTE! So we send the message that it’s perfectly acceptable to LIE???? Seriously? And further to use a death as the lie. Some may say adults have been doing the same for years…DOES NOT MEAN IT’S RIGHT! DOES NOT mean it is acceptable and teaching it to kids who ALSO watch these commercials! REALLY Volkswagen? THIS is the best you can do!
This commercial is terrible and should be taken off the air. Volkswagen, you are disgusting.
Just saw this too! I feel like it’s offensive but not sure in what way. I’m confused but I also feel sorry for anyone that has an Uncle Edward that is no longer with us. Crazy commercials these days!
I Hate this commercial. It is terrible to use the death of anyone!! I can’t believe Volkswagen agreeded or even considered this as a commercial for there brand, shame on you!!!!!
I Hate this commercial, shame on you Volkswagen for airing!!
It is bad enough that parents Take there kids of of school now to go to Disney or Univercial theme pks. as it is My taxes pay to have them in school not at theme parks.
Volkswagon should re-think about airing this commercial, especially after the fiasco of lying about emissions with their diesel vehicles. This commercial promotes lying about an uncle dying, in order to get out of school.
Disappointed in the company!
I find this commercial disgusting and uncalled for. No responsible parent would teach their children that it is acceptable to lie for reward. In no way is this parent behavior acceptable. As a retired school administrator I find this commercial morally corrupt.
VW which has no credibility after their emissions issues, then runs a commercial like this? Never see me buying one of their products. I would put VW in the advertising class of Jack in the Box. No Class!!!!!
I got to this comment by typing in the fake uncle dies is appalling
I saw the commercial for the first time yesterday and was immediately disturbed that they are airing a commercial that not only has children lying but the parents behind the lies. Unbelievable that anyone thinks this commercial is an acceptable form of advertising. It is a sad day to think that many people were involved in creating it at an ad agency and approving it at VW.
Below is the number for the corporate office in MI. It is a customer care contact but the only one I could find on their website. Please call it, along with your local dealership to voice your disapproval.
800-822-8987
In your “uncle Edward” commercial you have approved the fact that it is okay to tell your kids ahead of time that it is okay to lie to your kids, their teachers and their school. What other situations occur when a lie is better than the truth. Did the parents lie to their employers to be off work? I think that your advertising money could have been much more wisely spent on the fun that the family would have at an amusement park on their next holiday from school, or planning a vacation that the family dreamed of for days or weeks in anticipation of the activity in your SUV. It also brings up the question… do you as a company, a car manufacturer, lie to your buyers about the safety features and reliability of your products. There are no big and little lies and sins according to Christian principles; you either lie, or you tell the truth. I assume you also lie about your car’s performance. God knows the moral compass of our USA is drifting farther and farther away from moral values. Volkswagen should not contribute to that lack of pride in being truthful.
I don’t need to change anything! I appreciate the other comments that feel the same. I have owned one VW BUG; that statement will always be true because I will never buy another .
It sounds like you don’t know that VW can answer in the affirmative to your rhetorical questions:
“do you as a company, a car manufacturer, lie to your buyers about the safety features and reliability of your products. There are no big and little lies and sins according to Christian principles; you either lie, or you tell the truth. I assume you also lie about your car’s performance.”
YES – they lie to their buyers…long history of doing that regarding emissions.
Google Oliver Schmidt Pat and you’ll understand why he’ll probably say he “found “God” in jail. He has seven years in the clink for that opportunity…
Sickening commercial! SHAME ON VOLKS WAGON!! No integrity or morals and horrible “ideal” to be promoting!!!
Yes, I totally agree. What about teaching your kids to lie. This commercial is the worst!
Horrible commercial. It is wrong at every possible turn. Obviously VW has learned nothing from their past misgivings.
How, on earth or any planet, is this a viable commercial? Disgusting to teach children to
lie about anyone dying to get out of school. All happy and enjoying a vacation bader on falsehoods. Take it off the air
Sorry for the typo. Should read “All happy and enjoying a vacation based on falsehoods.”
This is a really tasteless commercial. Not only does it make light of using a fake family death as an excuse to skip school, but it actually shows the children putting on an act and lying to the teacher and principal in order to get released from class. What a terrible message.
Yeah, let’s teach our children to lie. Very good example.
I find this commercial in extremely poor taste.
Great way to encourage your kids to lie. Shame on you VW!!!
I can’t believe this commercial! Yea let’s teach kids to lie. They grow up to be the kind of jerks I work with that have ‘uncles or aunts or grandparents’ that die multiple times and call off work. Makes me NEVER want to buy from such an untrustworthy company. Bad strategy, VW. Bad strategy.
My children’s real “Uncle Eddie” died in October 2018. When they saw this commercial, it made them smile, because Uncle Eddie Knew. How. To. Live. And if anyone was going to take a day off to have a great time with family, he would have relished the idea that it was being done in his name. Seriously people, lighten up.
That’s lovely. Thanks for sharing, Deborah.
We are a couple that was impacted by the emissions scandal (owned a 3 liter diesel Touareg). We have made our living as public school and university educators for nearly 50 years. We are horrified by this advertisement. When do parents give permission to their children to lie about why they are leaving school – at least 6 times, no less. You would think after such a major scandal, the company’s top priority would be to demonstrate top ethical behavior. This is just the opposite. Call VW Customer Care to complain. The number is 1-800-822-8987. We did today and indicated appropriate action on VW’s part would be to pull the ad. Won’t you join us?
You are encouraging people to be deceptive. No wonder there is such a lack of conscience in this world now. Shame on you! I will never buy a Volkswagen!
unbelievable! the Company that cheated on fuel government tests makes a commercial celebrating parents having no ethics and teaching their kids its fun to lie and hide it? What the heck were they thinking?
Legend has it , that when the German patriot Andreas Hofer was told he could avoid execution by lying to the judge, he replied “I will not trade my life for a lie.”, and went to his execution.
This is a disgusting commercial! Death is not something to lie about!!! It is sending the wrong message to children!!!!
What a bunch of whiners. This is hilarious. You’ve never taken your kids out of school for a day of fun? Live a little. Plus, guess what? It’s a commerical. Ugh.
Is that Johnny Knoxville playing the dad in that ad? Sure looks like him.
Both the kids look like little shits when they get in the car! terrible commercial
Dishonesty is at the core of VW with the emissions thing. So the commercial accurately demonstrates VW’s core values.
Felt exactly the same in regards to my reaction to this poorly created commercial! Seriously?! Some agency managed to get VW to accept this twisted “joke” and got paid handsomely to suggest that faking a family death (multiple times) to go play hooky was somehow humorous? Or even relatable.
I wondered if I was being a prude or something, as this is not the only commercial that I have been irked by.
Subaru has a series of “don’t tell mom/dad” commercials that suggest you should have your children lie to your spouse in order to do something fun. Another of Subaru’s commercials shows a grandson who thinks it funny that his grandfather has lied to his grandmother about surfing, instead telling her he went fishing… at which point they chuckle… again… maybe I’m being a prude but seems to me that the “Subaru – Love” connection is really “Subaru- lies” as its core “family” values!
Maybe I do have a stick up my ass but, lying is not funny or family like to me.