About that “Green Police” Super Bowl ad
Some of you think Audi’s “Green Police” ad that ran during the Super Bowl last night was brilliant satire. Others were creeped out. Count me in the creeped-out camp.
If you missed it, here it is:
Now, here is the context you need to judge which side Audi is on — from the company’s “Audi Green Police” website:
Who are the Green Police?
Green Police: Who are they? Here is a quick primer.
Every day consumers around the globe are faced with a myriad of decisions in their quest to become more environmentally responsible citizens. Paper or plastic? Bottled water or tap water? Gas or electric? Compost Bucket or Recycling Bin? So many questions; yet so many conflicting answers. It can be overwhelming.
Now consumers have help, from the Green Police.
As part of the lead up to their third consecutive Super Bowl ad, Audi has created a fictional Green Police unit that are caricatures of today’s “green movement”. The Green Police are a humorous group of individuals that have joined forces in an effort to collectively help guide consumers to make the right decision when it comes to the environment. They’re not here to judge, merely to guide these decisions.
Coincidentally, there are numerous real Green Police units globally that are furthering green practices and environmental issues. For example, Israel’s main arm of the Ministry of Environmental Protection in the area of enforcement and deterrence is called; you guess it, the Green Police. New York has officers within the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation that are fondly called the “Green Police”. The Green Police is also the popular name for Vietnam’s Environmental Police Department and the UK has a group who dresses in green as part of the Environment Agency’s squad to monitor excessive CO2 emissions.
Audi’s corporate greenies are aggressively peddling “sustainable development” programs through a multi-million-dollar non-profit foundation:
Audi AG has endowed the new Audi Environmental Foundation, an organization designed by the company to focus exclusively on environmentally minded pursuits for the common good, with a $5 million kitty.
The Foundation was established to unify the company’s globally splintered environmental initiatives, bringing them together under one department for maximum efficiencies. The company hopes that the move will allow them to streamline brand communication around the many sustainablility and environmental initiatives they have as well as focusing spend. While the Foundation will have freedom in terms of spend, Audi believes that they can create more sustainable operations by integrating the foundations work into their own corporate culture.
Audi has recently announced other sustainability initiatives as well, including reducing fleet emissions 20% by 2012 and utilizing waste heat in its headquarters. Check out some of the other Audi of America sustainability initiatives here.
Green Car Journal, which designated Audi’s TDI the “Green Car of the Year” (a plaudit featured in the Super Bowl ad), heralded the commercial and snickered at those who have decried the very real manifestations of eco-fascism that have seeped into our daily lives:
Green Police focused on ‘protecting and conserving the Earth’ are now a part of modern life, or at least that’s what a series of tongue-in-cheek public service announcements by Audi would have us believe. The end game? These teasers running on YouTube (www.youtube.com/greenpolice) are leading up to the Audi Green Police Super Bowl ad that spotlights Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year winner, the clean diesel Audi TDI.
The YouTube videos include one focused on ‘napkin abuse,’ which warns against taking more than a single napkin per sandwich – or burrito, or pizza slice, or fish taco – because this leads to more than a billion pounds of napkins in landfills. And those power strips in your home or office? According to these white-shirted, green-focused officials they’re nothing less than ‘Mother Nature haters’ that facilitate CO2 emissions and harm the environment.
They’re pure fiction, of course. But that seems to have escaped many viewers who have commented on what an issue it is to be told how to live their lives by the Green Police. Score one for Audi, because that buzz will set the stage for the Audi Super Bowl ad that follows.
“Pure fiction?” Yeah. It’s all just our wild imagination and hallucinations.
Audi’s bottom-line corporate message is that the Green State is here to stay and that capitulating to it — and capitalizing on it, as Audi has — is the path to survival.
It’s no laughing matter, really.
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I thought I was the only one who wasnt laughing – scared the hell out of me as I was watching it.
My daughter came home from school last year and one of her assignments was to do an “inventory” of all of our light bulbs. I only found out about it later, because she knew how I felt about all of this ‘green’ stuff. So she made up the inventory with fake data so I wouldnt flip out on the school.
I’m on the creeped out side because the ad is close to reality in what many people would like to see happen, and does today as some mentioned above, fined for not recycling.
However, since this was so close to the goals of the enviro wackos, maybe it will get people to think about thwat “green” really means and stand up. That is assuming they haven’t been too far brain washed into “feeling good” about recycling, etc.
Not sure I’d say I was creeped out, but definitely felt that it was Audi showing how they feel the world ought to be. Of course, they cover it with the big “Oh, it’s a JOKE! We’re kidding!” defense, but their actions outside of the commercial say otherwise.
It’s basically Audi saying “We bow to our new Green overlords, and offer this car”. The car is a great idea, I like the idea of fuel-efficient (yet sporty) vehicles, but that Audi would genuflect to the eco-movement is really creepy.
I think people will make good decisions in their own context (I try to reduce/re-use/recycle where possible) without the heavy hand of the state forcing them to. While Audi meant this as a parody, it really is enough of a “crystal ball” to turn more people against the eco-obsessed out there.
Strange commercial. I’m not sure why I would buy more cars after watching it. I think it was meant to be satire, but this stuff is already occurring around the country so how can that be satire? That’s what I think gave it the creepy feeling.
But then again, it may have been a direct shot at the greenie faithful who want a fascist like state without realizing it (which is how those things happen). In other words, Audi will be reasonable but lets not get carried away.
It has definitely got everyone talking about it, so in that respect it was innovative.
My new name for those types:
Greenstapo
I will not buy Audi now. I’m tired of government, celebrities and corporations trying to tell me how to live. Vote with your dollars and they are sure to get the message. Go on as usual and you will only embolden them. Draw that line in the sand now.
Apropo, Dexter. Greenstapo will enter my lexicon, with your permission.
Perhaps we should call the calorie Nazis the Waffle-SS.
I didn’t take the commercial as anything other than satirically poking fun at the green gestapo and asking us all to really evaluate todays green message. I just heard an ad excoreating my dem senator because she won’t support cap and tax, and it’s going to kill all the people with emphysema. Yet anyone can go up in the arch in st louis, and you won’t see a single smokestack operating. Those jobs went to mexico and china.
At first, I thought it was clever satire because the premise wae so absurd. Then, I realized how close they were to some real life threats and started worrying that underneath they were serious.
heh heh
Or the Luft-waffle
Why I own guns.
We interrupt this thread to bring you this very important breaking news:
We now return you to your regularly scheduled lunacy.
Rather curious that Ms. O’Nerd had no problem with Palin getting flattened by Terry Tate. Both obviously fake but the Palin one ten times more “violent”.
The Audi commercial turned me off from ever buying the A4 I had considered for a commute vehicle. I like the styling but will not contribute to ‘Green’ bulls$*t if not forced to.
I also am confused by the furor over the Tebow ad. If you had listened to the left you would have thought it contained prophesy calling for the Second Coming of the 3rd Reich. I doubt most folks who watched it without prior knowledge of its content got what it was even about.
Put me down in the “creeped out” camp.
Get the masses used to the idea by making fun of it, then gradually transition to treating it seriously and heroically. Incidentally, this is the technique used by the qonquering alien Tripods in When the Tripods Came.
Hoard incandescents.
Good humor has an element of truth in it. I could just see an agent of the “Greenstapo” (like that term) leaping over a store checkout counter to pummel some poor hapless person who wanted plastic bags. (Then again, those in D.C. have to pay a nickel per when they use new ones, so wait until some store owner forgets to pay the tax due.)
Going through your trash bags, crashing into your backyard because the hot tub is too hot – maybe far fetched, but cap and tax is just a more subtle method of doing the same thing, like “smart” meters which can be changed as the elctric provider wishes, automatically.
That said, I really paid attention when Cheap Trick started singing. I actually like the “Dream Police” song and it’s my understanding Cheap Trick redid it for the commercial as “Green Police”. It sounded better than The Who.
Michael Swartz
http://www.monoblogue.us
Don’t laugh!
San Francisco already requires composting!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/09/BAR419IP8A.DTL
The Manager of our high-rise building has already told us, if the building gets fined for not composting properly, the fine will be split among all of the tenants.
Also we need to put our compostables in a compostable “BioBag” or a milk carton.
BioBags are outrageously expensive! $5.98 for 12 big or 25 small bags and it is the only brand available at my grocery store.
BioBags are distributed by BIOgroup USA, Inc. and are a product of Norway.
Hmmm…I wonder who BioBags bribed to pass a law that required us all to use their expensive product.
The only ‘green’ going on is in Algore’s pocket.
Not creeped out. Not amused. Just mildly insulted.
How can the message be “look at those green whackos” and “look how green we are” simultaneously? It looks to me like they want to lead everyone to think that it’s tearing into the environazis but then conclude with a gotcha — See? We’re actually green, and the climate change deniers are playing off your fears. We come in peace.
Maybe this is supposed to be fine art gone mainstream, so complex and multilayered in that we’re supposed to draw our own interpretations of the commercial’s true message.
Now I’m no longer insulted. I’m just slightly annoyed at Audi’s high-falutin’ snobbery for making some fancy-pants art commercial during the Super Bowl.
San Francisco also already prohibits grocery stores from giving out plastic bags. Other types of stores are being added to this requirement.
We have to bring our own eco-bag or put the groceries in a paper bag.
Paper bags are not a good option on rainy days.
And as a previous commentor said, don’t even think about using a fireplace or an outdoor grill on a “Spare the Air” day!
People have email alerts set up to let them know when the announcement is made that they can’t use their fireplaces or grills that day.
Stop the insanity before it spreads!
During the Super Bowl, for the Super Bowl…you know what I mean. They could’ve been making a commercial during the Super Bowl, though.
Good point. Trying to ingeniously and “artfully” woo the green beans and people with real brain matter at the same time – and utterly fails at both.
Wasn’t planning to pay too much money for an Audi anytime soon anyway. This brings the probability of buying one in my lifetime to about 0. I can thank them for that I guess.
Here’s my blog post regarding the ad.
Yup. Creeps me out, also.
Guns? What guns-I sold them all at the show. That re-loading bench is just for show. That and I’ll stick with my Ford F-150.
Fascism goes green. That commercial was uber creepy. We do not approve.
Yup, reloading = recycling. My favorite green hobby.
I did laugh about the guy and the incandescent bulbs. It is rapidly becoming illegal to sell them.
They got us talking about them, though, didn’t they? Not exactly a bunch of ringing endorsements here, however.
Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be getting an Audi anytime soon, even if I could afford one.
Good point there, too. Sort of hard to take the touting of their foundation seriously when they put more money into the airing of two commercials.
Exec: “What happened to the foundation’s budget?”
Accountant: “We spent it all on the Super Bowl commercials. And the website. And the other parts of the ad campaign.”
Exec: “Well, it was fun while it lasted. Shut ‘er down.”
Green Police: “Not gonna happen.”
Racist.
Walmart:
Pack of 4 incandescent bulbs that last for years…$1
One CF bulb that burned out the minute I flipped the switch…$4
You do the damn math.
FIFY
I thought the ad was funny until the end. Rush talked about how clever the ad is in making either side comfortable with the message. If you’re against the idea of global warming you will think it’s satire. If you’re an environmental whacko you’ll goose step to the beat.
Either way I won’t buy a green car or green light bulb. I just may go to walmart and buy all the incandescent bulbs they have.
sounds like an ad for the purplebellied meddling alliance. like to tell us what to think, what to wear, what to eat, dress us up like gorram dolls and make us breathe the PAX!! GO REAVER, I SAY!!!
I’ve had 2 green vans…forest and teal.
I was watching the commercial last night, and without thinking it was remotely funny, thought that it represented the idea of liberal utopia; a liberal’s wet dream. I wasn’t creeped out necessarily. I just thought that every wacky lib watching that commercial said or thought “that’s how it should be”.
They are still around and doing quite well as a matter of fact! They just released a new disc last year.
I’m looking forward to seeing them again in the near feature. If you get a chance to see them live I highly recommend it!
Count me as one of the ones who was creeped out by the commercial, as it looked a little too real for comfort.
Isn’t Audi owned by Volkswagon? They have a trend toward tacky commercials, but this one was definitely in praise of the ubergreen enviro-nazis. I.E. “drive our car and the wacky ‘green police’ won’t be after you”.
I get p.o.’d over the Subaru ads, too. Wherein they will donate to some leftwing cause, if you buy one of their cars. Guess they figure only lefties buy their cars, and with ads like that, they are pretty much guaranteeing it.
I’ll stick with my Ford and Toyota pickups. Great, reliable rides.
It wasn’t too long ago that Ford went through an 18 month boycott for their practice of sponsoring and donating to a certain leftist movement. During that time their sales dropped near 25%. They backed off, recended their sponsorship of the agenda (which had nothing to do with cars), and the boycott ended. Today they seem to be the only American auto maker making a profit to speak of, and not going along with Obama’s plans has also helped them. Ford is doing good things these days.
You mean the gay band by the AFA right? It’s okay to say it; real conservatives know homosexuality is wrong and Ford was wrong to promote it. They are probably still doing it under the table.
Audi, for now, has the gin to be openly leftist, but we’ll see how long that lasts.
Don’t think anyone “hates” Audi Bob. Advertising that insults my admittedly limited intelligence is insulting and annoying. I make a conscious decision not to patronize any business that tries to manipulate my emotion and/or reason to sell me their product. Audi actually makes a fine automobile with great style and engineering. Tell me about that, not relating it (or not) to some greeny weeny nonsense.
I see it as green nonsense illustrating the absurity of the extremist green movement. I thought everyone would recognize it as satire and see it as poking fun at the green weenies. The point was, you can be green with an Audi diesel full sized car without giving up anything. If “green” means getting 35-50 MPG in a large comfortable, non-hybrid car, isn’t that a good thing?
The ad must have hit home with the environazis, because san fran’s mayor took offense. BTW the ad was produced by san fran ad company, and all the enviro blogs are screaming, but trying to turn it into a see, audi is going after new greenies to join the ranks. the reality of the commercial, in my humble opinion, is the green gestapo has gone WAAAAY overboard in interfering with other people’s lives, and while we all don’t want to destroy the planet, using batteries, using light bulbs which actually produce light, and putting garbage through your garbage disposal instead of creating a stinking heap in your back yard seems over the top. i would love to go to some greenie holier than thou nazi’s house, and shut off their electricity since they seem to want to go back to the candle and fire lifestyle, and then plug up their chimney so they don’t emit carbon trying to stay warm.
I drive a 2002 SS Camaro.
It has a 5.7 L (350 cu in) 320+ hp engine and accelerates like a scalded dog.
I just LOVE blowing the doors off of prissy eco freek volvo drivers by passing close, fast and loud.
It makes me laugh to see their liberal disgusted faces in the rear view mirror.
I cannot wait to get me one of these:
2010 Chevy Camaro, 426 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque with a six-speed manual transmission.
CLICK HERE 4 FUN!
Keep your green outta my garage…
Don’t buy your incandescents at Wal-Mart, they sell castrated light bulbs (32W instead of 40W, 52W instead of 60W).
I buy my bulbs at Home Depot (haven’t seen Biden there yet) and Lowe’s.
Hoard Incandescents, especially PAR lamps. They could be the underground currency after Obummer blows the economy straight to Gre’thor.
I guess that’s my point. The meme assumes you either want to be “green”, or perceived as green by the greenies, neither of which interests me. I reject anthropomorphic global warming, and really don’t give a flip what those who embrace it think of me.
My propensity to buy that car would be that it is well engineered, performs and handles well, has nice style and ammenities, and saves me MONEY on fuel, not saving the planet. The pretense that it would make me “look green” is a disincentive to me.
I certainly don’t want to be forced to “go green”, especially not in ridiculous ways, as the ad pointed out…but, I love the option of buying common sense products that conserve, function well, save natural resources and save me money…it just makes sense to me.
There is much more to being green than just “climate change.”
Ah Ha! I knew this ad had to have a San Francisco connection!
It just seemed too much like the reality we are dealing with in San Francisco…composting in inner city kitchens, no plastic bag option at grocery stores, recycle your batteries at drug stores, haven’t seen styrofoam in years, a push to use mercury light bulbs, traffic jams unless you have enough people to use the carpool lane, etc. etc.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/green/San-Francisco-Mayor-Responds-to-Green-Police-Super-Bowl-Ad-jw-83817937.html?
Mayor Gavin Newsom needs to become famous for his oppressive composting law, so we can prevent him from running for higher office!
ooooo they rented one of those to me in California last week… I didnt even ask for it and I had no idea what it was when I walked up on it. Unfortunately I couldnt open it up for very long with all the traffic I was in, but I did make *several* dozen 100 yd, acceleration checks
Daddy likie…. I havent had a Camaro since I was a kid
And to honor Audi’s commercial, Ive decided to throw away all of those alumimum cans (into the general trash)that Ive been recycling for the past year. I work from home and can go through a 12pk a day, so we’re talking dozens of garbage bags stacked in my garage.
The commercial reminded me to go out on Monday and stock up on incandescent light bulbs. I’m trying to lay in a lifetime supply…