Posted on 12/14/2009 7:07:08 PM PST by Feline_AIDS
If anyone hasn't seen Kayak's commercial making a joke out of the sacrifices of our soldiers on D-Day, the link is below. It disgusts me, and I finally decided to let the company know. I hope you will do the same.
The commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RFoEn5EYJw
Here's what I wrote to them on their "feedback" page:
Hello Kayak,
I just wanted you to know that after seeing your tasteless commercial featuring a man talking like a WW2 veteran about Cancun, I've decided that I will never, EVER use your site, and whenever any of my friends discuss taking or booking a trip, I will most assuredly recommend one of your competitors.
Hoping you will swiftly go out of business, My name _____ The immediate response:
Thanks for your feedback Hello, I'm the CEO and Co-founder of Kayak.
We're a new company with big aspirations. Simply put, we want to help people find and navigate the wealth of travel information that's available on the web.
I personally read every email we receive from consumers like you. Why? Because we rely on your feedback to help improve Kayak. We have fewer site bugs, better features and functionality, and more accurate hotel and merchant ratings as a result.
Thanks for taking the time to write to us.
Steve Hafner CEO and Co-founder, Kayak
___
The feedback site: http://www.kayak.com/feedback/form
lol. that wasn’t a form letter. /sarcasm.
I saw that and thought the same thing. Good Lord. I guess Holocaust humor is next.
“After the first shot, everything was a blur...”
“Bombshells everywhere.”
You have to parse each word to get the full effect. I’m sorry, but I’m totally LOL!
someone takes life way to seriously. take the time to laugh, you’ll live longer.
Yeah, my took took that beach in France back in 1944 and if he were alive, that commercial would make him laugh.
Lighten up.
I agree it is clever wording. I suppose I would have to take my cue from someone who was there.
I admit it is possible that veteran of Omaha Beach might smile and say it was clever.
But I also think that vet might make the quiet observation that there wasn’t much to laugh about that particular day.
What the brave men and women sacrificed in WWII was much bigger than a stupid commercial.
“Yeah, my took took that beach in France back in 1944 and if he were alive, that commercial would make him laugh.”
What do you think your (insert name of relative here when thought of) would make of the new Twilight movie? What about balloon boy?
Yeah, my reaction to the commercial was also negative.
Play that commercial side-by-side with the opening sequence of ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and it’s really not that funny.
Good thing I turn the other cheek rather than strap on TNT.
Thanks, I was talking about my dad who was a WWII Vet.
As for Twilight, I don’t even have an opinion on that.
Balloon Boy, the old man would say that his parents should be sent to prison.
My Father landed at Normandy but a couple of weeks after D-Day. I don’t think the ad would bother him all that much but I personally thought it was just a little in bad taste.
I mean I have seen much much worse, but still a little out of line.
I’m not sure I understand the complaint. Is it because there is an actor playing a veteran? Or is it the very idea that a veteran might want to go vacation in a place he once fought in a war? Or is the way they have the veteran speak offensive?
Would it matter if the actor was actually a veteran? If he was a veteran that had actually stormed that beach?
The letter back was pretty funny though, saying they read your letter but not in any way responding to your complaint.
Lighten up. Nothing wrong with the ad. It’s funny!
Actually, Cancun was my finest hour in a way. :-)
Good for you! This commercial was certainly not funny. There’s one hell of a difference between landing under fire on Omaha beach after wading through ravaged corpses and landing on the beach at Cancun after and wading through numbers of bloated tourists snorkeling in the water on the way to the bar for the afternoon tipple. Invoking memories of D-Day to market a second rate resort is beneath contempt!
The add plays on the returning veteran theme without any actual references to WWII or D-Day. I don't think that it disrespects veterans and their sacrifices because it seems to target more the last few years of movies and advertisements that dwelled on WWII and The Greatest Generation (To cash in or as an homage?)
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