Volkswagen plots route to win back trust in first marketing push since emissions scandal
The German car marque has begun the process of rebuilding trust with customers following the global emissions scandal through a series of print ads that ran in national newspapers over the weekend.
Running with the title ‘We have broken the most important part in our vehicles: trust’ it said that “actions speak louder than words” and promised to individually contact every one of its customers affected.
"In the meantime, please rest assured that all our vehicles are safe and roadworthy and that we'll continue to do everything we can to win back your trust," it read.
The Drum asked for additional information but a spokesperson for Volkswagen was unable to provide comment at the time of writing, other than confirming that the ads ran.
As many as 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide are believed to be affected, with at least 1.2 million of its diesel vehicles in the UK rigged to cheat emissions tests. It has put some €6.5bn aside to cover “the necessary service measures and other efforts”.
The print campaign is the first piece of marketing activity since news of the emissions scandal broke, although reports emerged in wake of the scandal that all ads relating to its ‘clean engines’ had been pulled from online properties.
Last week, it was hit by a lawsuit filed by the State of Texas, accusing the car giant of deceptive marketing of its diesel engines.