GM pulls Chevrolet Trax ad off the air after faux pas

Ah, here’s another story about a play that has gone askew. According to news reports, General Motors has yanked a TV commercial off the air after complaints were made over questionable lyrics in the song featured in the ad.

The commercial promoting the Chevrolet Trax SUV used Oriental Swing, a 1930’s song by Lil Hardin Armstrong, which contains the lyrics “Now, in the land of Fu Manchu, the girls all now do the Suzie-Q, clap their hands in the centre of the floor, saying, ‘ching, ching, chop-suey, swing some more!'”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kxLZTGlHA

Following complaints over what constituted offensive content, the ad – which ran in Canada and in Europe – was reworked with a different soundtrack. But after the South China Morning Post reported the issue on Wednesday, GM decided to remove the commercial completely, the reports said. It apologised for the use of the song and the inappropriate content.

The GM faux pas follows on the hot soup Ford found itself in when Ford India came up with what was meant to be a set of lighthearted and humorous print advertisements designed to promote the Ford Figo’s spacious boot. The only problem was that the campaign sketches distastefully depicted women tied up and loaded into the car’s cargo area. It was reported that the ad agency staff who created the artwork were fired.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.