Jamaica to VW Critics: No Worries, Mon

Volkswagen’s “Get Happy” Super Bowl ad, in which everybody feels better when they adopt a Jamaican accent, has been slammed by some US observers as racist.

Sure, it plays on our stereotype of Jamaicans, but it seems the Jamaicans themselves love it.

So, what if there were a commercial that had everyone speaking in an Irish brogue, would that be criticized? Of course not, because Irish people are white. How about the French, Scandinavians, Italians, or any other of the dozens of national groups we stereotype? Same answer.

Anyhow, another part of the campaign is brilliant, a crazy collision of viral video stars and Jimmy Cliff:

That’s wonderful — and best of all, its hillside sing-a-long is an homage to one of the most famous commercials of all time:

6 thoughts on “Jamaica to VW Critics: No Worries, Mon

  1. I saw the Sunny Side commercial last night and thought it was really great. That crazy cat lady video on YouTube is definitely one of my all-time favorites. It was fun to see all of those people able to laugh at themselves and their unintentional celebrity.

  2. Love or hate the VW commercial, the simple fact is that a whole lot of people will be kidding each other with a Jamaican accent come Monday morning, no matter which team wins. So it’s probably a brilliant piece of marketing.

      1. Sure enough, white middle age guys around my office all doing Jamaican accents all week, hope it dies down by tomorrow. If anything, perhaps I can get them to deliver their weekly client reports on Friday speaking like Paul Harvey.

        1. That commercial with Paul Harvey was terrific; My 17-year-old son was particularly moved and wanted to know all about who this “Paul Harvey guy” was.

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