You'd think auto ad writers would have learned that dissing the locals is best left to the Simpsons. The latest car company issuing a mea culpa for stepping on finely-tuned political sensitivities: Toyota. BusinessWeek reports that a recent ad by the Japanese automaker raised the hackles of Fresno mayor Alan Autry and California senator Dianne Feinstein. The commercial in question showed the miserly Toyota Prius in a future where "gas stations will become nothing more than low-budget tourist stops. Like ghost towns… or Fresno." After Feinstein complained to the company, Toyota pulled the ad and edited out the reference. What penance must be done? Fresno city councilman Henry Perea says Toyota should open a Prius factory in his patch. Given the cost of doing biz in The Golden State, Perea should've simply asked for cash compensation (if he hasn't already).
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Maybe $100000000 in punitive damages for hurt feeeelings.
That’s really an unfair potshot at Fresno. It enjoys a central location in one of America’s breadbaskets, and boasts a vibrant economy based upon agriculture and methamphetamine production. And with the amount of car theft there, it would be a great place to operate a police academy AND a Toyota dealership, all at the same time.
Any links to the original ad I could use a good laugh.
Bravo Pch101. I tip my hat to you.
Nevermind I found it.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/11/11/video-toyota-apologizes-for-prius-ad-after-it-appears-on-digg/
entertaining ad
For a car company, that makes most of its money on vanilla, you’d think their adverts would be just as bland!
P.S Exactly when was “The Simpsons” funny? I’ve watched about 40 odd episodes and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed once!
Maybe Toyota should have cited Compton or Modesto instead. In my neck of the woods, we have Waynesboro, VA.
Hilarious ad – I guess some folks just can’t take a joke. It’s even good publicity! :D
Katie – watch any episodes from seasons 3-7. I guarantee it’ll get your funny bone goin’.
Sorry Katie, but if you do not find the Simpsons funny you do not get American humor!
I thought it was funny.
I know there’s more to Fresno than gas stations, but it’s still what we make fun of to feel better about our own hometowns.
Why make fun of Fresno when Bakersfield is right down the road? Stockton is there as well. I saw a stand up guy do a routine on how every city has the city the make fun of. It was REALLY hilarious.
Katie – My wife doesn’t get Brit humor, and she is an intelligent and well cultured person. Sometimes things just don’t translate well. If you had met a Homer Simpson, you would understand better.
Doesn’t Fresno understand that truth is a defense against libel?
Isn’t Fresno the place where they invented fresno lenses?
Katie,
In the 200 and some years that the US and UK have been separate countries, sense of humor has evolved very differently in each. According to the latest study of the subject, from researchers at Harvard University and the Univesity of California, Berkeley, 40% of Brits do not get American humor, and 55% of Americans do not get UK humor. You’re obviously among the 40%. The study is in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Fresno should be happy for any publicity. As Boston’s famous Mayor Curly, who was re-elected while in jail used to say, he didn’t care what people said about him as long as they spelled his name correctly.
The Simpsons is quite popular in the UK and elsewhere in the world. But those who aren’t interested in pop culture won’t tend to find it to be very funny, and those over 40 or so won’t likely understand a lot of the references.
In addition to car theft and meth, Fresno conjures up memories of former House representative Gary Condit and the disappearing intern Chandry Levy. Not sure what this has to do with the blog entry, but I’ll bet that he probably owns a car.
What’s Fresno?
Just kidding.
“Fresno city councilman Henry Perea says Toyota should open a Prius factory in his patch.”
Now that is funny. A new major manufacturing facility in California? Nothing of the kind has been built since IBM put up a huge disk drive factory in San Jose decades ago … which factory is even now being bulldozed to make way for yet another big box strip mall.
California policy seems to clearly be that the state doesn’t want anything to actually be made here.
didnt the simpsons first appear on a show hosted by a chick that was british ?the tracy(ulman?)show -i think it was called,then it spun off into its own show.-still think monty pythons one of the funniest shows ever.