Johannesburg – Competitive advertising is not something we see very often in South Africa, but every once in a while we get a marketing ploy that has Mzansi in stitches. We’re looking at you, Nando’s.
In the automotive space, Suzuki Auto SA is no stranger to witty social media posts, and in fact one of their Tweets from 2019 has been blowing up again on the social channels.
“Unlike other vrr phas, the Swift is driven by people who actually have furniture in their apartments,” the Tweet read, followed by “*sips tea*”.
We heard our hot hatch is turning heads again. 😉 https://t.co/2WQ3crcChq pic.twitter.com/0gJI9TmJQG
— Suzuki SA (@Suzuki_ZA) March 24, 2023
It takes a dig at young Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R drivers, and their apparent reputation for prioritising the purchase of their dream car over everything else in life.
As you’d expect, there were some amusing responses, with Dr Senzo Mahlangu tweeting “Camp chair is also a furniture”, and uNjomane saying “Midrand folks won’t like this”, which was not the only shade thrown at this part of Gauteng, which is also known for its generic architecture.
Hatfield VW Melrose also got in on the action by quipping “We actually sell cars not furniture. In actual fact … We’ll let Joshua Doore or Bakos Brothers handle this one”.
Competitive advertising is generally not allowed in South Africa, largely due to laws surrounding trademark infringement, says Rademeyer Attorneys. But that hasn’t stopped South African companies from doing it by implication rather than outright naming.
Remember the BMW that “Beat the Bends”? Or the Opel Kadett that tore its way around a golf course to prove it’s “More fun than…”?
And, strictly speaking, the Suzuki Swift is not a direct rival to the Golf GTI, and at R392 900 it’s almost half the price, but it certainly represents a temptation for those seeking a performance hatchback at a lower price point, which is what Suzuki is ultimately getting at here.
The Swift is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine that makes 103kW and 230Nm, versus the VW’s 2.0-litre turbo that churns out 180kW and 370Nm, but its lighter kerb weight means the performance deficit is not quite as big as you might imagine, with claimed 0-100 times of 8.0 seconds versus 6.4 seconds for the GTI.
Unless every second counts, then clearly it’s vrr pha for you all the way, whether you have change for furniture or not.
