On This Day Pre-Y2K
Confused by any of the jargon you see below? Check the Y2K Glossary!
May 5, 1999 Permalink
A.Lizard wrote:
>>IRVINE, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Recognizing the Y2K issue is one ripe for
>>satire, Kia Motors America and its advertising agency, Goldberg Moser
>>O’Neill, will introduce a national advertising campaign promoting Kia
>>dealers’ May sales event by poking fun at the hysteria created by the Y2K
>>phenomenon.I saw both of the ads last night on Fox 10:00 news (SF bay area). They portray Y2K preparers as fools akin to believers in aliens and UFOs. One of the “fools” depicted was a Senator! In case any real Senators or other govt officials might want to get out in front on the Y2K issue, these ads ought to convince them not to.
First we have plans by the FDIC and the banking industry for a public relations campaign to convince people to keep their money in the bank. (Not a bad thing, in itself, I’m a doomer and my money is in the bank.) Then we see this ad campaign showing a bunch of fools standing in the rain having a bank run. The timing is interesting, to say the least.
The net result of these ads will be to convince a few hundred thousand people, who might otherwise have prepared for Y2K, not to. Of these, some will live in areas where there are no problems other than the general economic slowdown. Others of these, living in less fortunate areas of the country, will go hungry, maybe die.
I wouldn’t want to be anyone associated with KIA this time next year. The ads are funny this year; next year they will be remembered as offensive.
—Alan Rushby, comp.software.year-2000, 05/05/99
