'Delete this': 'Weird' Mazda TikTok dance ad ridiculed by viewers
A very unusual advertisement for a Mazda car dealership has gone viral, though probably not for the reasons the car company foresaw.
In a perfect storm of social media and generational dissonance, a Queensland dealership attempted to jump on the TikTok bandwagon with a dance video come car advertisement that was neither predicted, nor asked for.
Shared by Grand Prix Mazda in Aspley, Queensland the video shows three workers perform the Savage TikTok dance challenge with revised lyrics to reflect more of an automobile theme.
The Savage dance is a popular mini-routine to perform on the social media app, with the moves set to the tune of Megan Thee Stallion’s song Savage.
Sadly, the only savage element of the Mazda clip was the reaction it drew from its audience.
Strangely, the video was uploaded with no actual music, meaning viewers were treated to 17 seconds of the woman at the centre of the video engaging in the kind of speak-singing usually reserved for performing a song that you can’t remember the name of to a group of friends.
“September savage,” the woman begins, punctuated with a wet-sounding clap from the three gathered workers.
“A month packed with savings. So what are you waiting for?”
From there the tempo-commitment lagged somewhat as the message did battle with the music.
“So we’re clearing stock with five years-roadside-assistance-on-all-models,” she continues.
“So come in, book a Mazda test drive this Mazda month.”
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Savage response to Savage clip
The advertisement sure won the dealership plenty of attention, though most were less interested in the advertised stock-clearing and more interested in the process that saw the unusual video end up online.
“Why do I feel like a middle-aged man named Greg thought this would be a good idea?” one viewer wrote.
“Probably saw his niece watching it on TikTok and thought it was an excellent sales pitch. The girl looks like she would rather be anywhere else.”
Any eagle-eyed viewer could not help but notice the moment the woman’s eyes dart to the left in what some could argue was a plea for deliverance from the hideously awkward situation.
“Weird,” one person summed up the situation.
“You poor buggers being forced to do that,” one viewer sympathised with the workers. “Weird advertisement.”
“Blink twice if you need help,” another wrote.
“You still have time to delete this,” another advised.
Several viewers described the video as a ‘cringefest’.
Though over 8000 people have commented on the post, and over 3000 dropped a like on it, it seems the video is doing little to encourage new customers.
The comments suggest that if anything, the message backfired, sending potential clients running for the hills.
“I was going to buy a Mazda 6,” one person wrote. “Now not so much.”
“Were you trying to make sure I never buy a Mazda in my life?” another wondered. “Because I think you succeeded.”
“I think we deserve free cars after watching this,” another wrote.
Advertisements that tanked
It’s not the first time an advertisement choice has gone slightly lopsided online.
Earlier this year, a KFC commercial was slammed after viewers called it ‘sexist’ for objectifying a young woman’s body.
The advertisement was screened over the summer and shows a young woman in festival gear adjusting her cleavage in what she thinks is an empty car’s reflective window.
The window rolls down to reveal a disgusted woman and two sons with dumbstruck, happy looks on their faces.
KFC apologised for the ad.
“We apologise if anyone was offended by our latest commercial,” a spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“Our intention was not to stereotype women and young boys in a negative light.”
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