Photo: Volkswagen
It’s standard practice now for carmakers to get in on the whole “let’s prank people on April Fools’” game. And it makes sense for them to do it since it makes them seem more relatable, more approachable, more in touch with the regular Joe and Jane, the potential customer.
Every once in a while, snafus happen. Just like it would in real life, where a prank doesn’t involve a budget or puts an entire company’s reputation at risk, carmakers, too, get it wrong. But few others got it as wrong as Volkswagen did this year, when it announced, on March 29, the decision to change the name of the U.S. EV operations arm to Voltswagen of America.
The news was leaked via an incomplete press release posted to the official website. It was pulled within the hour, but not before journalists from a few major publications had been notified by email, link included. That too came from Volkswagen, Automotive News reports.
What followed next was part of the plan: VW feigned ignorance and then, with feigned reluctance, confirmed that the name change was real. A new press release was sent out, confirming the rebranding attempt, which included, along with the name change, a new logo that would go on electric vehicles released on the U.S. market.
Several hours later, VW was putting out another statement, this time to say “LOL jk,” but in fancier words. All this happened before April Fools’ so that, by the time April 1 rolled in, everyone was laughing not at the prank, but at Volkswagen, for the way it was seemingly unable to pull it off.
In the end, it’s all good news, VW Group of America chief executive Scott Keogh tells the same media outlet. It was a joke, and its goal was to get people paying attention to the ID.4 and VW’s focus on EVs. It worked.
“When you light a match like this, in the environment, and it gets us, you know, as much traction as it did, you’re just not able to control everything – every phone call, every text, every email, every engagement, every back and forth,” Keogh says. “But the idea came from a very Volkswagen place: Let’s have some fun. Let’s have a gag. Let’s show the world how crazy we are about EVs. Full stop.”
Volkswagen clearly chooses to ignore valid criticism and even the fact that most people are talking about the stupid prank, mentioning the electric SUV only in passing. But hey, even bad publicity is better than no publicity at all.
The news was leaked via an incomplete press release posted to the official website. It was pulled within the hour, but not before journalists from a few major publications had been notified by email, link included. That too came from Volkswagen, Automotive News reports.
What followed next was part of the plan: VW feigned ignorance and then, with feigned reluctance, confirmed that the name change was real. A new press release was sent out, confirming the rebranding attempt, which included, along with the name change, a new logo that would go on electric vehicles released on the U.S. market.
Several hours later, VW was putting out another statement, this time to say “LOL jk,” but in fancier words. All this happened before April Fools’ so that, by the time April 1 rolled in, everyone was laughing not at the prank, but at Volkswagen, for the way it was seemingly unable to pull it off.
In the end, it’s all good news, VW Group of America chief executive Scott Keogh tells the same media outlet. It was a joke, and its goal was to get people paying attention to the ID.4 and VW’s focus on EVs. It worked.
“When you light a match like this, in the environment, and it gets us, you know, as much traction as it did, you’re just not able to control everything – every phone call, every text, every email, every engagement, every back and forth,” Keogh says. “But the idea came from a very Volkswagen place: Let’s have some fun. Let’s have a gag. Let’s show the world how crazy we are about EVs. Full stop.”
Volkswagen clearly chooses to ignore valid criticism and even the fact that most people are talking about the stupid prank, mentioning the electric SUV only in passing. But hey, even bad publicity is better than no publicity at all.
What began as an April Fool’s effort got the whole world buzzing. Turns out people are as passionate about our heritage as they are about our electric future. So whether it’s Voltswagen or Volkswagen, people talking about electric driving and our ID.4 can only be a good thing. pic.twitter.com/Rzx8mJgxkT
— Volkswagen (@VW) March 31, 2021
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