A Hyundai car advert that features a man attempting suicide in his garage before being thwarted by the car's zero-emission engine was withdrawn last night after attracting fierce criticism.
The viral advertising campaign for the South Korean car manufacturer was posted online last week, but was strongly condemned for making light of suicide.
Holly Brockwell, a freelance advertising copywriter from London whose own father Geoff committed suicide in a similar way, wrote an impassioned open letter to the car-maker and its advertising agency Innocean.
She wrote: “When your ad started to play... I began to shake. I shook so hard that I had to put down my drink before I spilt it. And then I started to cry.”
Ms Brockwell told The Independent: “It's worse because I work in the advertising industry and I know the pressure to get a good response, but that's not the way to do it.”
Innocean was unavailable for comment last night but a Hyundai spokeswoman said: “We apologise unreservedly. The video has been taken down and will not be used in any of our advertising or marketing.” -The Independent