GM pulls ad that offended cyclists
General Motors Co. is killing an advertisement aimed at college students after receiving complaints that it makes fun of people who use bicycles for transportation.
That ad has a headline stating, “reality sucks” and depicts a nerdy-looking guy wearing a helmet and riding a bicycle being passed by a cute young woman in the passenger seat of a car. It then goes on to say, “Stop pedaling … start driving” and provides information about discount pricing for GM products such as the new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact sedan and the giant GMC Sierra 1500 truck.
The ad ran in a variety of college newspapers and was turned into a poster that was displayed on campuses, according to the automaker.
The advertisement was widely panned at BikePortland.org and other cycling blogs and in complaints on GM’s Facebook page.
“The content of the ad was developed with college students and was meant to be a bit cheeky and humorous and not meant to offend anybody,” said Tom Henderson, a GM spokesman.
“We have gotten feedback, and we are listening, and there are changes underway. They will be taking the bicycle ad out of the rotation.... We respect bikers, and many of us here are cyclists,” he said.
This follows a higher-profile reversal made last month concerning GM’s OnStar vehicle communication service.
GM had informed its OnStar customers that as of Dec. 1, data from a customer’s vehicle would continue to be transmitted even after the service was canceled, although customers could ask for the link to be terminated.
U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the policy change represented an invasion of privacy, and he threatened a federal investigation.
In response, GM said it would not keep a data connection to customers’ vehicles after the OnStar service was canceled.
