Volkswagen cops to name-change stunt—and reporters share their fury
The automaker teased a new name for its U.S. operations, ‘Voltswagen’ to highlight its electric vehicle offerings. But when the effort was revealed as an April 1 prank, media pros said they had been fed lies.
Is your organization considering a gag for April Fools’ Day this year?
Many organizations seem to be willing to play a little prank this year, perhaps to enliven audiences and share a little cheer after months and months of bad news and pandemic. But Volkswagen’s effort has missed the mark, say reporters who felt they were fed lies in the build up to a light-hearted marketing stunt.
The mistake was confirming the change to reporters when a press release put them on the trail of the new name. After outlets reported the name change—which skeptical insiders correctly sniffed out as an IHOB-style stunt—the car company came clean. But the damage was already done.
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