Volkswagen’s rebrand turns out to be an April fool’s marketing prank
Volkswagen has sparked media outrage following its declaration of a false re-brand aimed at drawing attention to its all-electric ID.4 SUV “in a fun and interesting way” as “an April Fool’s Day effort”.
Volkswagen had earlier announced in a press release it would be changing the name of its US subsidiary to “Voltswagen” to highlight its shift towards electric cars.
In a statement made public, Volkswagen’s spokesman, Mike Tolbert apologized for the marketing prank stating: “The many positive responses on social media showed that the campaign resonated with consumers. At the same time, we realize the announcement roll-out upset some people and we are sorry about any confusion this has caused. We will continue on our mission towards an EV future, as Volkswagen.”
“The renaming was designed to be an announcement in the spirit of April fool’s Day, highlighting the launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV,” he added.
Phil Chetwynd, global news director of AFP in a response to the Volkswagen group said: “We understand when a spokesperson is not in a position to confirm or comment on a piece of information. But we never expect them to make false statements,” he wrote.
“We strongly think serious journalists and news outlets should not be used by companies like Volkswagen for marketing and advertising purposes. For us it is a very grave breach of trust which must not be repeated.”
Initially the press release was received with much contemplation, but the Volkswagen company spokespeople insisted it was genuine, which resulted in widespread media coverage before Volkswagen eventually revealed the rebrand was a joke dreamt up by its marketing team.
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