Toyota Commercials Encourage Insurance Fraud
A new commercial that Toyota Motor Corp. is running now has insurance officials in Massachusetts and across the nation steaming mad.
If the Superbowl has taught us anything, it is that ads that are funny, engaging and memorable are the ones that work. The most successful commercials in history have entertained us, provided famous taglines and fun water-cooler banter at the office. After all, who could forget things like "I've fallen and I can't get up!" from 20 years ago? "Where's the beef?" for Wendy's restaurants, "Whassup?" for Bud Light and Skittles' "Taste the Rainbow" have all been successful ad campaigns that have been remembered, spoofed, imitated and laughed about.
The new Toyota commercial, although meant to be humorous, doesn't have insurance officials laughing. They hope that it is quickly forgotten and certainly not emulated by anyone.
The television commercial depicts vehicle owners destroying their vehicles in various ways, including pushing them off the roof of a parking garage, having a cut tree fall on them or having some heavy object such as a steel beam or a boulder fall on them, all so they can get a new Toyota. The problem is, the insurers say, that if consumers imitate the commercial, they'd be breaking the law and committing insurance fraud.
According to the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts and the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, the commercial sends a message to its viewers that the money received in an insurance settlement if your car is destroyed will help buy a new Toyota vehicle. Both groups are urging Toyota Motor Corp. to stop running the commercial.
The groups say that every scene of a car being destroyed in the commercial depicts criminal activity and that the only reason a person would destroy a vehicle as shown on the commercial would be to commit insurance fraud. It is not necessarily that the insurance officials believe that commercials will actually cause people to actively begin smashing up their cars on purpose, but they do say that the commercial does promote acceptance of unethical behavior and they think this may be irresponsible advertising by Toyota.
Toyota claims that the ads were meant to be humorous, and not to be taken literally. They just want to sell Toyota vehicles, and created an edgy ad to create buzz about their product. It's just a marketing strategy.
The commercials have been run nationwide for the annual "Toyotathon" promotion and carry the tagline, "something strange happens to people at this time of year." They are aired during popular programs and important sporting events for maximum exposure.
The insurance officials say that when they first saw the commercials they were stunned and offended. Some say that the ads are a slap in the face to those who work to fight insurance fraud and the growing acceptance of this illegal activity among Americans.
Hopefully, at the conclusion of Toyota's annual sales event the commercial won't prove to be one that was memorable or especially lasting. It might have even faded easily to black without much notice, had it not gotten the media exposure that the insurance officials' objections brought. Sometimes it may be best to stay quiet and let even semi-questionable things pass, rather than bring attention to a situation that will run its course and go away on its own.
