Okay, so I guess VW is doubling down on the Darth Vader references, despite the fact that associating themselves with Darth Vader as an advertising mascot might tend to remind everyone that their company was in actual fact founded by Adolf Hitler. I would have advised against it, but I must admit that the ads are cute, and I like them. Still, though, the fact that the Star Wars Empire was inspired by Nazi Germany, and the fact that Darth Vader is our sort-of Hitler Stand in (or is he more of a Heinrich Himmler type?), seems to me to so hit the nail on the head about letting people in on their Nazi past so effectively, they might as well put Hitler mustaches on the grilles of their cars if they’re going to go that route.
But maybe I’m wrong about this whole thing. Perhaps VW drivers are those dark-side types who only buy VWs because of their Nazi affiliation, and these ads are merely intended to get that message out to the evil dark-side types that they’ve got real life Empire-like beginnings, but without clueing the rest of us by calling a spade a spade, so to speak. Besides, they’re a German company, so coming out and glorifying the Nazis in ads might get them in trouble with the law there, so the best they can do is do the same thing in spirit by glorifying the evil Darth Vader and hope that everyone figures out that they’re trying to make a reference to their founding father, the Darth Vader of the Fatherland: Adolf Hitler. I’m just not so sure this is a good idea, that’s all.
But I like the dogs, that’s for sure. They’re cute. And without the inclusion of German Shepherds, the Nazi’s favorite dogs (at least in movies and TV shows), perhaps they’re hoping we won’t notice the Empire-Nazi connection and remember stuff like the fact that Adolf Hitler founded Volkswagen. But it seems like an awfully big chance to take on something that could end up being a big PR disaster if people do notice it.
BTW: This might sound like a hit-job on Volkswagen, but it’s not. I really like Volkswagen; I’m only commenting on their marketing/advertising strategy and the actual, historical fact that this company was founded by Adolf Hitler, and as such, I think they ought to avoid the whole Star Wars Empire thing, seeing as how it’s modeled on Nazi Germany, which is where and when VW was founded by you-know-who. So personally, I don’t think the Nazi beginnings of VW should reflect on their cars today: they haven’t been run by Nazis for decades, and they’ve been making great cars for years, so that should be enough for consumers, right? But the fact remains that by referencing Darth Vader, they’re tipping their hat to the Nazis, albeit unintentionally, and that might make some people remember the Hitler thing, and people are kind of mad at that guy. Even Michael Jordan can’t wear a Hitler mustache without being bashed for it, so you’d think VW might get some flack for being founded by the guy: a little more of an association than a facial hair fashion choice, I’d think. (Besides, Michael Jordan had a Hitler beard to match, so it’s a totally different look than Hitler! I mean, he had a hipster beard. Oh, sorry: I screw that up so often!) So I’d try to avoid leading people to remembering that association with Hitler, if I were working for VW in advertising. But I’m not, so there you are. And I guess they either don’t realize it (the Hitler association suggested by the Darth Vader ads), or they don’t care.
Here’s the Sith-aggrandizing ad (It’s a howler!):
