Are we over-reacting?

Are we over-reacting?

Nissan is scrambling to set things right after its ad campaign for Tiida sparks controversy

August 11, 2008 12:40 by kippreport

The furore over Nissan’s recent ad campaign for its Tiida car at some level seems pointless. The controversial ad shows an Arab sheikh stepping out of a hotel and bumping into a parked Nissan Tiida. Discovering its fuel efficient features, he starts yelling at the car, and pounding his fists on its windscreen. The ad closes with the line, “It’s clear the oil companies won’t like you.”
The ad, meant to be funny, didn’t tickle many people in the Arab world, with some of them even calling the ad racist. Nissan has quickly stopped the campaign, which was made by their distributor in Israel. “We are completely against this,” the company clarified to Communicate magazine.
But what is all the fuss about? Doesn’t Saudi Arabia sell oil? And do people in the Arab world never get angry?
Sometimes, it also helps to laugh.
What do you think?

Tags: ad, campaign, car, israel, nissan, Saudi, Tiida

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1 Comment

Jassim on August 12, 2008 7:55 am

I guess when people really feel like making a fuss of something, then they do find a reason for it ……i mean i can find half a dozen instances when the jewish community were joked about in mainstream american movies, and this is happening is a country which has always been seen as strongly pro-jewish…….did any of the steins or the cohen’s burn tyres in NY ?