Humor Keeps Ad Alive For More Than A Decade
The Ford SportKa found fame in 2003 with the release of two shocking television advertisements named simply: Pigeon and Cat.
‘Pigeon’ featured a pigeon in the foreground flying down to sit on the bonnet(hood) of a black Ford Sportka. Before it gets a chance to roost the bonnet(hood) flies up and catapults the bird through the air. Feathers float all around the car and the pigeon lands on the ground, inert. The spot was shown on UK TV but not for long. Pigeon lovers wasted no time in protesting.
The advertising executives that created the commercials worked with the concept of the SportKa being the Ford Ka’s evil twin. The Ka, released in 1996, was perceived as being a humble economical car. The SportKa needed to attract the maverick market, a younger and more mobile audience with greater buying capability. And so was born the plot that would infuriate animal rights groups around the globe. …show more content…
The ad shows a ginger short hair cat jumping onto the roof of a black Ford Sportka to investigate the newly opened sunroof. Will it jump in? To our horror the sunroof closes in on the neck of the struggling cat. Eventually, the head is chopped off and the body of the cat slumps down the side of the car, out of view. There’s no voice over. Just the words: Ford SportKa – The Ka’s Evil Twin.
This pair of ads would appeal to a viewer’s character via the attraction of personal sense of humor and the use of comedy to present message. This can be risky. One view can be seen as a humorous look at how to prevent animal intrusions with the use of dark comedy ultimately resulting in death to the intruding animals. Yes, the black humor created a lasting
The Ford SportKa found fame in 2003 with the release of two shocking television advertisements named simply: Pigeon and Cat.
‘Pigeon’ featured a pigeon in the foreground flying down to sit on the bonnet(hood) of a black Ford Sportka. Before it gets a chance to roost the bonnet(hood) flies up and catapults the bird through the air. Feathers float all around the car and the pigeon lands on the ground, inert. The spot was shown on UK TV but not for long. Pigeon lovers wasted no time in protesting.
The advertising executives that created the commercials worked with the concept of the SportKa being the Ford Ka’s evil twin. The Ka, released in 1996, was perceived as being a humble economical car. The SportKa needed to attract the maverick market, a younger and more mobile audience with greater buying capability. And so was born the plot that would infuriate animal rights groups around the globe. …show more content…
The ad shows a ginger short hair cat jumping onto the roof of a black Ford Sportka to investigate the newly opened sunroof. Will it jump in? To our horror the sunroof closes in on the neck of the struggling cat. Eventually, the head is chopped off and the body of the cat slumps down the side of the car, out of view. There’s no voice over. Just the words: Ford SportKa – The Ka’s Evil Twin.
This pair of ads would appeal to a viewer’s character via the attraction of personal sense of humor and the use of comedy to present message. This can be risky. One view can be seen as a humorous look at how to prevent animal intrusions with the use of dark comedy ultimately resulting in death to the intruding animals. Yes, the black humor created a lasting