Photo: Screenshot from Youtube
Remember the commercial BMW did for its ConnectedDrive suite that featured Siri and an odd-looking cottage? The one where a lot of people couldn't make out what Apple's Siri said to the occupants of an X3?
We showed it to you a while back, and it has been on TV for quite some time now, unfortunately stirring up some controversy. It appears like a mental health group is appalled by what it implied and asked BMW to stop airing it.
The spot focused on the concierge services offered by the iDrive system and shows a couple driving up to what they believed to be a 'cute cottage' only to find what looks like a terribly dangerous place.
Furthermore, upon arriving at their destination, one of the passengers makes an unfortunate comment regarding their possible host, saying 'she looks crazy.' That was enough to trigger a reaction from the National Council for Behavioral Health that issued a statement claiming that it encourages people to abandon the less fortunate ones out there.
"This went beyond just the word ["crazy"] for us," Linda Rosenberg, CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health told CNBC. "It was saying that word, and then behaving as if someone who has a mental illness doesn't deserve your help. … They're just going to walk away."
Hearing about the complaint, BMW refused to take the ad down altogether, at once. Instead, the company claims that the commercial will simply be replaced gradually on TV by one of their newer spots, and the problem will, therefore, be solved gradually.
Editor's Note: It definitely looks like this is more of a publicity stunt to attract more attention for the Council Ms. Rosenberg represents. It's not like BMW used the line on purpose to piss people off and nobody else seemed to be offended by that remark. It looks like we're getting just a little too sensitive these days...
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