Suicide prevention groups have a new auto company in their sights: VW.
At least five mental health groups are demanding that Volkswagen drop a new TV spot that features a distraught guy on a ledge who ultimately opts not to jump off the building after he hears there are three VW vehicles available for under $17,000.
VW has no plans to yank the ad. "We see no reason to stop at this point," says Keith Price, a VW spokesman. "We are willing to continue the discussion. But controversy is not something VW had shied away from in its marketing."
The complaints come just days after General Motors — under pressure from activists —agreed to change the ending of a Super Bowl spot featuring a suicidal robot. A few days earlier, Masterfoods USA pulled a Snicker's Super Bowl spot in which two men accidentally kiss over a Snickers bar. Gay activist groups complained the men's over-the-top reaction was homophobic.
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