Car Commercials, the good, the bad, and the annoying!

tallman1

If I see the Nissan Grease themed ad one more time, I am going to strangle someone.

Well don't strangle me because that ad is driving me nuts too. I can't believe I hear or see it so much because I rarely watch anything live any longer. They must run that thing every 5 minutes.

fintail

I heard it twice in 10 minutes while listening to the news at 5am. Horrible.

ateixeira

My best buddy's wife works for Nissan in TN. I'll call her and tell her to have the ad pulled.

fintail

People "work" for Nissan in any other facet than assembling cars? Could have fooled me :shades:

stever

Even I saw that ad - took the in-laws and stopped for lunch at an Applebees. Had a good view of the Tigers game (yea! 3-2).

Sure enough, the ad flopped up along about the bottom of the 8th. Fortunately the mute was on.

ab348

I posted about this ad 2 weeks ago. Nary a reply. Where were you ad critics then? Or am I just ahead of the curve as usual???

The most overused ad on TV right now. And, the most annoying.

fintail

It didn't bug me til I saw it for myself :shades:

But really, it is horrid. I would seriously not buy a Nissan just based on that spot.

ateixeira

I haven't seen it either, but Grease is cheesy without Olivia Newton-John anyway.

ateixeira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F__OdGcae84

It's a PSA, though, not an ad for either automakers.

Apparently they took a scene from Glee for this.

ateixeira

Designs apparently submitted by people on hallucinagenic drugs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=19Fz6APnIUo

ateixeira

Chevy will try to appeal to women for the Malibu:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t5sZZMcBl4Y

fintail

The new Infiniti G25 spot with the car keeping pace with F1 style cars on a city street racetrack is at a lame level which is hard to beat, I love the disclaimer in the ad "normal cars do not drive like race cars" or something like that...suffice to say, that lease queen won't be keeping up with anything racy.

ateixeira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6PfQRTtkAQ4

xrunner2

The new Infiniti G25 spot with the car keeping pace with F1 style cars on a city street racetrack is at a lame level which is hard to beat

Agree. Maybe Infiniti ad agency collaborating with Mercedes on dumb commercials.

Mercedes still running the ad with a C class sliding on gravel street in a Hollywood setup town. There are no people I see that drive Mercedes, or want to, drive like that. Lots of senior men and women drive Mercedes. Higher end by doctors and dentists, business owners, of course.

ateixeira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VAI8XzHyWs&feature=player_embedded

Much better looking than the outgoing one. Too long, but neat ad. Edit it down to 30 seconds and would work on TV.

ateixeira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=15gnYmA-FGI#!

-100kg should make the TDI extremely fuel efficient.

fintail

And those seniors and boring businessmen continue to buy more and more of those cars, even with the dorky commercial. Funny how that works.

To me, an ad that insinuates a base model G can race around with F1 style cars is a degree worse than something spinning out in gravel.

explorerx4

I'll be at ground zero for the edition of that car this weekend.
Hopefully Skip, I'm sure he has one, will lend out for display.
There isn't one on the dealer supplied list.

ab348

Is it still based on the Fusion? Sort of looks like the new Fusion. Looks OK, but nothing to get too excited about. I remain dubious of "Skyactiv", which to date translates to "underpowered".

ateixeira

I don't think so. Looks like Ford and Mazda "divorced", if you will. Mazda bailed out of Flat Rock, MI entirely.

The 6 will be made in Japan, I think.

Wheelbase is over 111", that thing is a boat!

ateixeira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o0B5vuAYk94

I like the move at 1:09 where the guys "falls up".

fintail

Last night I saw a Malibu commercial that made me laugh. Guy pulls up in a 2012 Camry to look at the new "Eco", salespeople think the Camry is an old car, one says he is looking for the cassette deck. Kind of a funny knock on the rather bland update to that car, although it might be a little too brash for some.

roadburner

The one with the dorky couple where the "enthusiast"(yeah, right) husband likes the "rims" and "sleek" styling. Then ditzy wife opines that it's an SE- the "sporty" version.
Another excellent example of the "Our customers are complete morons, why not join them?" theme...

xrunner2

Guy pulls up in a 2012 Camry to look at the new "Eco", salespeople think the Camry is an old car, one says he is looking for the cassette deck.

Imagine that. A cassette deck. Soon the current "with-it" phone by a major manufacturer will be obsolete.

One thing that will survive though, apparently, are dumb commercials by car mfrs showing cars doing stupid stunts that 99.99994 percent of driving public would never do. Even teen agers.

Sliding around in gravel make believe hollywood towns, ripping up beaches, sliding sideways on an old desert lake bed.

Just who are the fools that approve these dumb ad agency suggested commercials?

There are some rays of hope at intelligent, inspiring, creative commercials. Such as the one of the 2013 Ford Mustang driving in a city street scene.

fintail

I'll take stunt ads over the Camry dorks ads. I saw the "car guy" one referenced here, last night. Terrible! Really embarrassing.

You'll like this, given enough road, your diesel panzer will be able to match the speed of a diesel locomotive. Helps to wear chic glasses

What is tradition? - heritage themed ads worked even 50 years ago

What is quality?

roadburner

I'll take stunt ads over the Camry dorks ads. I saw the "car guy" one referenced here, last night. Terrible! Really embarrassing.

Exactly; how could anyone -especially- a true car enthusiast- watch that inane Camry ad and actually want to buy a Camry?

fintail

I couldn't find it on Youtube. It was really laughably bad, just as bad as the dorky family with the dad who had a freaky laugh.

And to think, people make amazing incomes to come up with this crap. It hurts the Camry in my eyes - as a transportation object alone, there's nothing wrong with it - but this make it look like a dweeb choice.

fushigi

And then there's Nissan, who's using the tag line "_SHIFT" despite pretty much being the heaviest proponent of CVTs in the US. :confuse:

fintail

Seems 80% of their affordable sports car Z I see are slushbox, too.

They aren't alone though, not much zoom zoom about a base model slushbox Mazda3 or a minivan CX9.

fintail

The Acura TL "elegance in its most aggressive form" line is back on TV. Sorry marketing douches - it's not elegant, it's not aggressive (I don't believe any Acura could be called the latter). It is also called "fun" in a commercial, I have my doubts there, too.

Also saw a banner ad for the Equus, "luxury redefined". Well, re-interpreted, maybe.

loncray

As the owner of a 2013 Mustang, I enjoy that commercial every time it comes on. It's inventive, original, funny (love the Black Swan ballerina at the end) and the car isn't shown doing anything stupid, even though it has more potential for spectacular stupidity than most cars.

ateixeira

Malibu has the dated mild hybrid tech that GM just announced they will drop from their next gen pickups. Even GM doesn't believe in that old tech.

At least the Camry hybrid is the most fuel efficient in its class, and not slow by a long shot.

Ads like that are funny because it's Chevy acknowledging who the class benchmark is.

ateixeira

Saw that, too. Pretty awful ad.

ateixeira

not much zoom zoom about a base model slushbox Mazda3 or a minivan CX9.

On that I will disagree.

Mazda3 is about as fun as you can get in its class, keep in mind we're talking about Cruze, Civic, Corolla here. Mazda3 is downright exciting even with a slushbox.

The SkyActiv model is the most fun you can have in the 40mpg club, per Autoweek, an enthusiast leaning magazine with expensive tastes. They cruised at over 70mph and still managed over 40mpg, too, so real world mileage and fun.

Even the CX9, for its class, is best in class to drive, again compared to Highlander, Traverse, Pilot, Explorer, etc.

All things being relative, of course, zoom zoom actually has some meaning.

fintail

I said base model, not skyactiv. As far as I know, base doesn't have that engine. I wonder what amount of the sales volume is skyactiv.

Exciting slushbox economy car? I suppose it would be amazing, if you are coming out of a 91 Corolla. Must be an underdog thing

CX9 looks smaller than all those too. Another masked minivan in my eyes. Zoom zoom? Take a corner hard in that thing and see how fun it is. :shades:

ab348

Were you saying something about the Mazda 3? I couldn't hear you over the road noise and general raucousness of the interior... :shades:

xrunner2

As the owner of a 2013 Mustang, I enjoy that commercial every time it comes on. It's inventive, original, funny (love the Black Swan ballerina at the end) and the car isn't shown doing anything stupid

Yes, a great commercial that is inventive, creative. Unlike the numerous dumb commercials that have cars stupidly sliding sideways in gravel, sand, busting up beaches.

The heritage of Mustang includes Shelby as well as the 67-68 Mustang fastback in the Steve McQueen movie, Bullitt, with the greatest car chase of all time. Many have tried to supersede Bullitt, but none have had any success.

xrunner2

Exactly; how could anyone -especially- a true car enthusiast- watch that inane Camry ad and actually want to buy a Camry?

Enthusiasts are a small part of the buying public. Most people buy a car, suv, etc somewhat like a refrigerator. There is no evidence that Toyota has or will build Camrys for enthusiasts.

roadburner

You missed my point- the ad makes Camry owners look like imbeciles; why would anyone think that portraying Camry owners as idiots would encourage someone to buy one?

ateixeira

The 5 door has the SkyActiv engine as standard. I had to look but in theory the base engine is still available in the sedan. I doubt dealer stock any of those, though.

CX9 would be more fun in a corner than its competitors. Again, it's relative.

ateixeira

If it were German people would say "feel of the road" instead of road noise. :P

fintail

I saw the ad again last night. The mention of "rims" and "smooth body" (or something like that) had me rolling my eyes. Not to mention how the female half described how it drives. Yeah, that SE is sure sporty :shades:

fintail

I wonder what the take rate is for that sedan with the better engine. I seem to notice as many 3 sedans as 5-doors, too. So you can get zoom zoom, but you gotta pay up.

For CX9 cornering fun, 0^2 is still 0 :shades:

ateixeira

SkyActiv models are not expensive, plenty of them are under $20k. I priced a 5 door in the high teens, and it was far from stripped.

Mazda should just drop the lame duck MZR. They basically have, so just make it official.

The model that really needs a different engine in the Mazda2.

Next Miata is rumored to be a 1.3l Turbo with 200hp. I have mixed feelings about that. Could be way too high strung. The current 2l is very responsive, no throttle lag at all. Like Bimmers used to be. Any lag or slowness off boost and it could feel like a dog.

fintail

Put a skyactiv out of a 3, or that 1.3 turbo in a 2, then we can talk zoom zoom :shades:

Seeing as MAzda does fleet business, I wonder if the low spec engine is intended for those customers. Unfortunately, those fleet cars eventually hit the used car market.

ateixeira

Probably, Hertz sedan special of the week.

I don't think Mazda's fleet percentage is high, though, not compared to its competitors.

ateixeira

Here's a follow-up to their clever first one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k7eGINFXp5s

Not as good as the original, but still fast paced enough that you won't jump for the remote to change channels.

lemko

Hope he bought that car for his clueless wife and all his positive opinions of it are to massage her fragile ego. He's sitting in the passenger seat and has a sacastic look that says, "You're right honey!" A Camry is fine for the non-car enthusiast little lady but no real man chooses to buy a Camry for himself.

ateixeira

You sound like Hemi ad copy.

fintail

Or maybe he is just fooling himself.

Rims!