Photo: YouTube / E.Y.O.
Volkswagen has done a lot of apologizing in recent years, and it’s now adding another apology to that long list. The company has gone public with the findings of the internal review into the racist ad for Golf MK. 8 that was released online last month, including another official apology.
The ad went viral on May 19, after it was posted to the official Instagram Stories and Facebook accounts of the carmaker. As it started to attract negative comments by the dozens, VW’s initial reaction was to say it didn’t understand where criticism was coming from, but whoever found anything objectionable with it was taking it out of context.
One more day and VW issued an official apology: the ad was racist and they would be launching an investigation into how it came to ever see the light of day – not to mention be promoted widely on official channels.
You can see the ad in the video below. It shows a pair of white hands tossing and flicking a black man, marionette-style, into a cafe called Le Petit Colon (“the little settler”). Viewers noted that the slogan “Der Neue Golf” (“The New Golf”) spells the German N-word when fading out, and that the hand seems to make a White Power sign.
In context, the ad was part of a longer series detailing the love story between a white woman and a black man, with the Golf MK. 8 being part of that story. According to the new, official stand from the carmaker, over 200 people in various departments saw the ad before it went live and not a single one of them deemed it even slightly problematic. The ad was also online for some time before it was released to a wider audience.
The conclusion of the investigation is that, while the ad is indeed racist, it did not stem from racist intentions but out of a lack of sensitivity to these issues and of proper coordination. Hiltrud D. Werner, member of the VW Group Board or Management responsible for Integrity and Legal Affairs,CMO Jochen Sengpiehl and Jurgen Stackmann, member of the VW Passenger Cars Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and After Sales, promise it will never happen again.
As a result of the snafu, VW says it will improve the process of approval of new marketing content, ensure diversity across their teams, boost training on ethics and culture, and create a new social media organization for enhanced response and control.
“On behalf of the Board of Management, I want to formally apologize for offending people as a result of a lack of intercultural sensitivity. This was a violation of values for which Volkswagen stands,” Werner says.
“The critical point is that we failed to spot the racist elements of this video. I want to apologize for this error of judgment, also on behalf of the team. A key finding of the investigation is that we need an out-of-context review. Each clip must be unequivocal and non-critical, even without the general context. I will personally make sure that the actions resolved will be implemented in day-to-day business operations,” Sengpiehl adds.
One more day and VW issued an official apology: the ad was racist and they would be launching an investigation into how it came to ever see the light of day – not to mention be promoted widely on official channels.
You can see the ad in the video below. It shows a pair of white hands tossing and flicking a black man, marionette-style, into a cafe called Le Petit Colon (“the little settler”). Viewers noted that the slogan “Der Neue Golf” (“The New Golf”) spells the German N-word when fading out, and that the hand seems to make a White Power sign.
In context, the ad was part of a longer series detailing the love story between a white woman and a black man, with the Golf MK. 8 being part of that story. According to the new, official stand from the carmaker, over 200 people in various departments saw the ad before it went live and not a single one of them deemed it even slightly problematic. The ad was also online for some time before it was released to a wider audience.
The conclusion of the investigation is that, while the ad is indeed racist, it did not stem from racist intentions but out of a lack of sensitivity to these issues and of proper coordination. Hiltrud D. Werner, member of the VW Group Board or Management responsible for Integrity and Legal Affairs,CMO Jochen Sengpiehl and Jurgen Stackmann, member of the VW Passenger Cars Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and After Sales, promise it will never happen again.
As a result of the snafu, VW says it will improve the process of approval of new marketing content, ensure diversity across their teams, boost training on ethics and culture, and create a new social media organization for enhanced response and control.
“On behalf of the Board of Management, I want to formally apologize for offending people as a result of a lack of intercultural sensitivity. This was a violation of values for which Volkswagen stands,” Werner says.
“The critical point is that we failed to spot the racist elements of this video. I want to apologize for this error of judgment, also on behalf of the team. A key finding of the investigation is that we need an out-of-context review. Each clip must be unequivocal and non-critical, even without the general context. I will personally make sure that the actions resolved will be implemented in day-to-day business operations,” Sengpiehl adds.
Here is the Volkswagen ad that has caused outcry for being racist
— Bra Joe (@JoeNameTaken) May 20, 2020
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