Want to get your customers' attention? Swear at them. That seems to be the latest marketing strategy from Big Auto, who's peppering ads with barely bleeped-out swear words. While the most famous one is Dodge's Caliber advertisement showing a panel of sweet imaginary creatures (the fuzzy puppet, the fairy unicorn, 'Binky') reacting with fear to the auto, the most profane and disturbing is probably Volkswagen's crash commercial, where two friends get in an accident and one of them says, "holy shi " [fade to black].

Sure, people swear. Lots of people swear, and I'd be willing to bet that a majority of VW and Dodge customers are potty-mouthed. (I know, sweeping generalizations, but that's what marketing is about folks!) But is this really the best way to communicate brand? Shock tactics?

It depends, I'm sure, on the consumer. DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) unit Dodge's vehicles are heavily marketed to the wanna-be gangster audience (Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent are famous for wanting to be the first customers of Magnum, Charger, and the Chrysler 300), for whom "crap" is probably not even considered swearing, whereas Volkswagen AG (FRA:VOW)'s consumer profile is famously young and understatedly hip. Hip enough, it seems, to say "holy shit" without blinking an eye.

As for me? I don't give a damn about the swearing (see what I did there?). I'm much more disturbed by the depiction of the accident in the VW commercial, which always jolts me out of my primetime TV buzz and makes my heart beat pitter-patter. Entirely not the shock I want while I'm being entertained -- like the cute little hedgehog says in the Dodge commercial, it doesn't make feel all warm and fuzzy inside.