Because drunk drivers, cell-phone maniacs and narcolepsy don’t cause enough highway fatalities, Volkswagen has come up with a whole new way to distract the driver: play a guitar in the car. What else would you do with an electric guitar that can plug into the VW’s sound system? A new Volkswagen promotion puts customized guitars with the special feature of plugging into the VW’s sound system into the hands of buyers of designated 2007 and select 2006 models. Whether the guitar is intended for the driver or a passenger is unclear. Nor do I seriously think this will impact highway fatality rates. It’s just so irrelevant to the Brand and obviously designed as a slim excuse to run pseudo-iPod ads that it’s, well, embarrassing.

But I bet all the folks that found the brilliant Safety campaign controversial will love this. It’s just so cool. Immediate Best Spot of the Month and numerous awards are in the wind. Too bad it won’t sell cars.

Kathy Sharpe, CEO

Read more: Glass Houses | TrackBack URI