Johannes Leonardo, Volkswagen's main marketing agency, would send the press release under a false name to a series of journalists so as to make the joke go viral. According to some sources, Volkswagen would have therefore intentionally deceived its public also following some clear questions asked by journalists and addressed to the upper floors of the brand. VW spokesman Mark Gillies even denied the presence of an April 1 joke and thus confirmed the radical name change. An all-round joke, which may have been poorly digested by both the press and the readers.
In any case, internally, the name Voltswagen already exists and has already been used for some presentations behind closed doors. For example, in conjunction with the launch of the ID.3 in the UK, where the group would use it to present the very first electric. A winning and captivating strategy that now, however, seems branded as a joke; strange, don't you think?
According to Automotive News, this small and apparently innocent joke would have generated a strong media attention towards the brand, damaging its credibility. Basically, according to some, Volkswagen would have acted exactly as in the Dieselgate affair by shamelessly lying to users even knowing they have something to hide. A sort of déjà -vu that is dramatically little appreciated.
Was it a boomerang from the start? Certainly not, it was probably simply a poorly coordinated plan that had more repercussions than anything else. The impression is that the different departments within VW have not agreed as they should have done, creating only enormous chaos and an almost unwarranted turnaround. If Volkswagen had simply created an ad-hoc press release (as all manufacturers do during April Fool's Day) there would have been no problems.
What do you think of this story? Do you think this is a huge conspiracy or that a game is being taken too seriously?