Using JFK’s assassination to sell Mazdas? That won’t end well
Sometimes an ad so spectacularly ill-conceived crosses Dr Mumbo’s radar that he wonders if he’s being pranked.
For instance, a car company thinking the assassination of an America president would be a good way of selling its blind spot detection technology.
But that’s what dropped in Dr Mumbo’s inbox overnight.

That is truly appalling!
See above.
This would not have run.
So is the ad inferring that the Mazda will alert you to threats that aren’t actually there?
The mirror alert should only go off when the car drives past the grassy knoll.
Here you can clearly see how the creative IGNORED ALL PLEAS from data and media teams.
Wow ill-conceived is an understatement
Not only offensive but terrible attempt to leverage the feature
With all that talent, they don’t even have Kennedy on the correct side of the car.
Well, to be fair.. we are now talking about the car and now I’m aware of it’s blind spot detection?
Now I need grassy knoll detection so I can park easily?
It is truly appalling to make money out of a national tragedy!
But what about the many books written for this same purpose rehashing other writers’ theories about the JFK Assassination.And not serious investigation to find out the truth.The sketch has President Kennedy sitting on the wrong side at the back of the Lincoln limousine.He was actually on the right side of the car.
I would have seriously mixed feelings about this line, however in a case for the freedom of creativity, and what I think of as the historic statute of limitations, The sinking of the Titanic, the great fire of London, and the horrors of Custer’s last stand, have all been used in advertising within my lifetime.
I wonder had the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife the Duchess of Hohenberg, which also took place in the backseat of a car been the centre of the ad, would there be this level of discussion?
It has been more than 53 years since the JFK assassination, which was a national tragedy in the USA, and a sad news item elsewhere in the world. maybe, with a little understanding, we could see that the creative idea was perhaps tasteless, but not so appalling after all.
It’s one helluva world, ain’t it?