We're Sorry That We Got Caught
Publisher
Brandalism
United Kingdom, founded 2012
Ad Agency
Barnbrook, London
Date2015
Dimensions71 1/2 x 7 1/4 in. (181.6 x 18.4 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.7686
DescriptionIn the lead up to the 2015 United Nations’ Climate Change Conference in Paris, the activist group Brandalism placed more than six hundred posters in bus shelters around the city, all of which aimed at calling out the ecological hypocrisy of the summit’s various corporate sponsors. Here, Barnbrook appropriates the voice and branding of a typical Volkswagen advertisement, but references its recent emissions scandal. This resulted from the discovery that the illegal software on more than 10 million diesel-powered vehicles had allowed the cars to pass EPA and other agency inspections while in “test” mode, but that under regular driving conditions they actually emitted more nitrogen oxide than legally allowed. While the 2009 VW Jetta Diesel had won Green Car of the Year, the award was rescinded in 2015 when this information was leaked. As of 2020, the scandal has cost the Volkswagen Group in excess of $33 billion, with more cases outstanding.On View
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