Thinking about buying a car? If you're thinking about a Hyundai, you might want to think again. Automaker Hyundai has run a highly offensive World Cup commercial which mocks the Catholic Church. The blasphemous commercial parodies Catholic liturgical practices in a non-Catholic 'church' which was founded in honor of a former soccer player. The commercial begins with a procession - of a housed light & soccer ball - accompanied by the song Agnus Dei (meaning 'Lamb of God', a reference to Jesus). It also contains a scene where the "priest" feeds a kneeling "communicant" pizza and shows a bridal couple placing their hands on a soccer ball just before the immodestly dressed "bride" head-butts the ball inside the "church".
Call Hyundai today and object to this blasphemy!
Note: To complain, you can try calling (714) 965-3000 (located in Fountain Valley, CA) or toll free at (800) 633-5151. Or try online for e-mail addresses or mailing addresses. [Reminder: Callers who prefer to keep their phone number private should bear in mind that caller ID blocking may not prevent the transmission of your phone number when a toll-free number is used]
UPDATE: Hyundai has apologized for and removed the offensive commercial, noting in part that "Because of feedback like yours, we have removed the ad from all Hyundai communications and stopped airing it. We credit the passionate World Cup viewers and Hyundai owners for raising this issue to us. The unexpected response created by the ad, which combined both soccer and religious motifs to speak to the passion of international soccer fans, prompted us to take a more critical and informed look at the spot. Though unintentional, we now see it was insensitive. We appreciate your feedback and hope you will accept our sincere apologies." [Commentary: Anyone doubt they would have taken a "more critical and informed look at the spot" BEFORE it aired if it parodied Islam rather than Catholicism?]
[6/14, updated 6/15]
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