CRASH

Television doesn’t hold too many surprises for viewers. You can be pretty sure that any sit-com you watch will at least try to be funny, a horror movie is likely to be scary, and a thriller will probably be thrilling. You get just about what you pay for, and that’s as it should be. On television, as in life, there are boundaries, within which we must all play. I believe VolksWagon has crossed the line with its shock ads.

Using the motto, “Safe Happens,” a not-so-subtle parody of that other popular motto, “Shit Happens”, these ads lull viewers into a false sense of security with a scene of casual conversation in a moving car. Then, without warning, another car comes out of nowhere and BAM - big crash! The driver and passenger are shocked but safe. The idea is that you can trust VWs in an emergency. The result, however, is a betrayal of trust.

There are templates for every format on TV, including commercials, and none of them embraces completely unexpected violence. VolksWagon might want to remember that minors also happen, they happen to be watching when you least expect it, and may not want to get into the family VW and go to play dates after graphically learning the random nature of violence in daily car travel.

Hey, I know the envelope is constantly being pushed – Harriet couldn’t sleep in Ozzie’s bed, Desperate Housewives seem to sleep in everyone’s bed – but put a warning at the top of the commercial, for God’s sake. It may reduce the shock value of the ad, but it will raise the integrity of the advertiser.