If they're showing us the European model driving through an American city in their TV spot made for an American audience, I can only think the American model isn't nearly as good or beautifully designed as the European model is, otherwise why aren't they showing us the American model? And as we all know, you're not permitted to get a European model of a car in the United States without having to import it yourself, or pay exorbitant fees and jump through various annoying hoops and fill out a mountain of paperwork, etc. So this also makes me feel like this TV spot is being dishonest to a certain extent. I mean, sure, they do tell us (in fine print) they're showing us a version of the Volvo SUV we can't get in America (except for the part about us not being able to get it in America), but that's only because they have to include it due to regulations requiring them to do so. And that begs the question: Can the American model of the Volvo SUV be so much worse than the American version that Volvo doesn't mind setting up a veritable bait-and-switch situation at the dealership for people who want the car they saw in the TV ad? It kind of seems like it to me, and I think that's kind of a problem with this spot. I wonder if it was the decision of the ad agency or the client to show the European model instead of the one we can actually buy in America.
(You know, if the government is going to create a regulatory environment whereby advertising has to admit when it's being intentionally deceptive, aren't they taking all the fun out of deceptive advertising, and the wonderful surprise we get when we find out that the product we bought isn't the same as the one we saw in the ad that inspired us to want to buy it in the first place?)
Here's the unobtainable automobile advertisement:
