Audi (Volkswagen) Ads and the Ignorance of Logic

Another (Volkswagen) Audi commercial, another interesting detail.

The TV ad for the Audi Quattro line broadcasted yesterday in Italy is based on creating a climax of even number, with the number “Quatttro” (four, in Italian) on the top of the ladder.

To obtain this effect, the copywriter of the Italian advertising agency thought of a line that reads something like “due sono le alternative” (two are the alternatives”) and then something about the uniqueness of the car. In other words, the script is based on this sequence: two (alternatives) to one and only car, the four (Quattro).

As much as this script looks tricky, it contains a logical fallacy: “alternative” include two options (either going right or left, fight or flight and so on) thus if the Audi script says there are two alternatives, it actually means four (different coupled) options.? To be? correct, the script should have said something like “there are two OPTIONS” instead.

No big deal at the end of the day: advertising, as a form of art, is entitled to be sloppy.

Carmaker, on the contrary, shouldn’t.

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