Volkswagen Polo – Dog Sings with Confidence

10 April 2008 by Silky

This entry should really be on Britain’s Overly Sentimental People blog as I find it very hard to believe the response to a little dog shivering for a couple of second on TV but…

If the Internet is to be believed (and I see no reason why it shouldn’t be) somewhere between 600 and 6 billion people from the UK complained that the dog in the Volkswagon Polo advert looked like it may well have, at some point in its life, although we can’t say for sure, been frightened.

Such was the outcry that Volkswagon have been forced to say they “didn’t threaten to chop the mutt’s nuts of if it looked at them in that pathetic puppy dog way again” (I’m paraphrasing there) in order to make it shiver and also that they aren’t going to re-run the adverts when they come to the end of their current run because “you’re all too stupid to get the joke” (Frankly I’ve just made that bit up).

Anyways, it turns out the dog was acting – although quite why they have to drag Martine McCutcheon in to the story, I don’t know.

What’s that?

Oh, the dog in this advert was acting.

Yes, I see, *acting* dogs, I get it.

Actually, no, no I don’t get it.

I strongly suspect that the dog’s direction was something along these lines “Once more with pathos, Lovey, and you’ll get a Schmacko” but if it’s called “acting” on Hollyoaks then it’s acting here, I suppose.

So, for all those people that think an animal stood on a vibrating platform constitutes cruelty – which, come on, is a giant leap forward in the treatment of animal TV stars considering they put electrodes on Mr Ed’s bollocks to make him talk (which was hilarious, I think we all agree) – here’s the advert for you to vote on:

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Just How Bad is this Ad?

(39 votes, average: 2.36 out of 5)

17Responses:

snooks

Said on the 11 April 2008

Not quite sure why this is on “TV’s Worst Adverts” as it’s dead good!
Silky

Said on the 11 April 2008

You might think it’s “dead good”, snooks, but 6 billion others complained.

I think you need to have a jolly good think about what this means about your life, don’t you?
Will

Said on the 12 April 2008

i think you need to get your facts right…6 billion people is a little bit much?? I think you need to take a step beack and actually gauge what the people are saying. 600 don’t understand it which is why they complained, but over 1m youtube views, 1,000′s of positive comments and 100′s of blogs say other wise…

Let me guess, you started in sales, then got fired, moved to media agency, discovered you were usless at that to, took and open uni course learning how to build web 1.0 pages and thought, i know i’ll get back at those agencies who tossed me aside and build a shite site to slag off ads which 99.9% of us think are highly entertainly and fulfill the job they set out to do, and engage people…
Lazlo

Said on the 13 April 2008

Is this woman blind or member of the Royal family, I can’t see any other reason why she’s allowed to take the mutt into the bank and food shops.
If I went into my local deli and saw this rat like thing looking like it’s about to defecate on the floor, it would get a kicking out of the door, followed by a call to the local enviromental heath department.
Keith

Said on the 13 April 2008

I think it’s a great advert too.
Silky

Said on the 13 April 2008

Yeah, don’t you just hate it when people don’t get the joke, Will…
PCWB

Said on the 14 April 2008

Yeah Will.
Silky

Said on the 16 April 2008

Funniest comment I’ve read in ages, PCWB! Nice one.
Phil

Said on the 19 April 2008

I’m stunned that Will didn’t work out that the 6 billion thing was sarcastic. It’s almost the same level of sarcasm of me saying “yer, right!!” 60 billion times.

What a fucking moron.
Scof

Said on the 27 April 2008

Did Will have something to do with the making of this ad?

Did he star in it?

Is it time for walkies?

Who’s a good boy?
RichP

Said on the 30 April 2008

I hate this advert with the blinding intensity of a thousand suns.

I don’t know why. I just do. Nothing really baout the dog, and the music is a catchy tune. I guess some things just get under one’s skin.
Cathryn

Said on the 12 August 2008

it’s so funny
don’t want the car
but i do want the singing dog
you just have to laugh at this one
NICFERG

Said on the 1 September 2008

PHIL.

we have thoroughly enjoyed this page, until we reached your un-insightful comments. To be fair you are the Ken Livingstone of the moral world, and you should jump off your gramatical high horse and come up with a better example of irony.

I have a small dog and a tazar, this seems after much experimentation to be the quickest route to the desired effect.

Woof Woof
Leon

Said on the 18 November 2009

This ad is actually very disturbing; it’s basically fucked up. nothing new there, i think most ads. from the UK are fucked up, but this one is specially bad because it also involves animal cruelty.
LaLa

Said on the 2 April 2010

Woah, there is nothing disturbing about this ad! It’s a dog! A cute one too. Watch the news and then you’ll see what disturbing is. I loved this ad when it came out and could not believe it when I heard it got banned and for the most absured reason – Animal cruelty?! I’m sure more than half of those that complained have tucked into a KFC on more than one occassion and not battered an eyelid at the thought of what processes have gone into their bargain buckets. I read an article about the 2 dogs that starred in the ad and they get treated like hollywood film stars. I hate that ads like these get taken off and yet we have to deal with the brain-rotting repetition of ‘Go Compare’ and the like.
Ad Hater 2.0

Said on the 28 July 2010

Nothing to do with this advert but this is still related to a Volkswagen ad.
I’m getting so pissed off with that stupid advert for the VW Golf. Some guy is putting up a billboard and he calls someone saying that the price is wrong.
It says “Golf, only £15,150.”
Then they have the cheek to display the words “Unbelievable value” on the screen. EXCUSE ME, since when was 15 fucking grand EVER considered “unbelievable” value?! The car looks fucking tiny and I would never spend that much cash on it. Also, the other ad about servicing is annoying too. £250 for 3 years servicing. Guess what it says, “unbelievable value.” Errr… since most car manufacturers actually INCLUDE the servicing, how the fuck is £250 cheap?!
AJXX

Said on the 29 July 2010

Thanks for bringing this up Ad Hater 2.0 this advert has been bugging me for ages!

I agree with everything you said however have you noticed the gap on the billboard and the size of the £15,150 part? that would never fucking fit on there anyway! its far too long!!!!