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

Mr_Shiftright

Dunno. I saw it on YouTube. It came on before my regular selection. What did you think of it?

PF_Flyer

I really like the Volkswagen Tiguan -- the 'New King of the Concrete Jungle' ad running right now with the ELO song Livin' Thing playing. I just think it's really clever. Don't think it will make me buy a Tiguan, but I think it's a good ad (plus it's NOT a Geico ad )

stickguy

VW has a tradition of really good ads. some of the all time classics.

PF_Flyer

stickguy said:

VW has a tradition of really good ads. some of the all time classics.

Would you award them overall best, based on their body of work?

We're a long way from "See the USA in your Chevrolet"

fintail

I saw the Equinox hipster/manbun "Bad Mama Jamma" spot this morning - just awful.

roadburner

fintail said:

I saw the Equinox hipster/manbun "Bad Mama Jamma" spot this morning - just awful.

The one with the guys waxing orgasmic over the special edition Silverados runs a close second.

tjc78

I think my favorite VW commercial is the one where the guy tackles the shopping cart that is ready to hit his car.  At the end he says "I'm ok". Love it. 

tjc78

Edit, had to find it. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6EL0FPZHA

berri

Equinox hipster/manbun "Bad Mama Jamma" spot

Manbun must be the latest metrosexual look. But I'll be honest, those hair knobs women fold up on the top of their head are a bit much too. So I suppose you can say they cancel each other out

berri

Just saw a truly obnoxious commercial for the 18 Sonata. Some dork drives it around in traffic singing Sweet Caroline (not exactly a guy type song). I don't get how that is going to sell the car?

andres3

berri said:

Just saw a truly obnoxious commercial for the 18 Sonata. Some dork drives it around in traffic singing Sweet Caroline (not exactly a guy type song). I don't get how that is going to sell the car?

I like what they did with the front ends though, and they do show it in the commercial (the car).

tmart

I kinda like it. The guy and the girl are happy in traffic while everyone else is not. The Sonata makes them feel good. Plus, the song is great.

roadburner

berri said:

Just saw a truly obnoxious commercial for the 18 Sonata. Some dork drives it around in traffic singing Sweet Caroline (not exactly a guy type song). I don't get how that is going to sell the car?

The subliminal message is:
"Hyundai owners are complete dorks- why not join them?"

tmart

We'll agree to disagree!

Mr_Shiftright

Same reason we see cars zooming down clear, open sunlight roads in adverts--at least at a much greater proportion than we see cars stuck in traffic.

Happy Happy sells cars, as does sex and fear.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

Same reason we see cars zooming down clear, open sunlight roads in adverts--at least at a much greater proportion than we see cars stuck in traffic.

Happy Happy sells cars, as does sex and fear.

I think you've stumbled onto a good commercial idea. Show a car that's such a pleasure to be in, that the driver is happy to be stuck in gridlock traffic.

tjc78

roadburner said:

Just saw a truly obnoxious commercial for the 18 Sonata. Some dork drives it around in traffic singing Sweet Caroline (not exactly a guy type song). I don't get how that is going to sell the car?

The subliminal message is: "Hyundai owners are complete dorks- why not join them?"

Ouch 

PF_Flyer

Of all the silly car commercials that have come and gone, the Ford Edge commercial that included the (sarcastic, I hope) disclaimer that "vehicles can't really drive on buildings" is up there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgCfndDBXl8

roadburner

I'm not saying Hyundai owners ARE dorks- I'm just saying that the ad makes them look that way. Nissan and Toyota have run similar ads(See: "The Camry Family").

tjc78

roadburner said:

I'm not saying Hyundai owners ARE dorks- I'm just saying that the ad makes them look that way. Nissan and Toyota have run similar ads(See: "The Camry Family").

Ha ha we know.  I actually thought it was funny. 

berri

Well, all these cars have the now in vogue big snout, so what the heck

I still remember those Altima ads last year where some guys are racing their Altima's or a school bus. Kind of like Camry ads talking about sporty. Maybe they should stick with magazine ads.

fintail

History rhymes rather than repeats, and millennial/hipster trends seem to be their own version of the cringeworthy stuff worn by boomers in the 70s. Apples and trees.

berri said:

Manbun must be the latest metrosexual look. But I'll be honest, those hair knobs women fold up on the top of their head are a bit much too. So I suppose you can say they cancel each other out

fintail

Nissan ads can be just as regrettable as Chevy ads, it's like they were made by a frat house full of sophomore marketing bros.

kyfdx

Nissan ads would be the worst, if it wasn't for the GM real people ads

fintail

Saw an ad for the "aggressive" new Camry. I suppose the empty platitudes match the busy styling.

fintail

I saw this on TV last night, kind of a fun one:

https://youtu.be/342QpEFmRpU

Mr_Shiftright

Clever...looks like historic and modern footage blended together. At least they got the clothing right. Usually, "hippie clothes" are hysterically wrong in Grade B movies.

And yes, Joe Cocker did sing that song at Woodstock!

berri

You could get dizzy watching his body movements and facial contortions while he sang

Mr_Shiftright

John Belushi ruined Joe Cocker for me, forever.

berri

I was turned off right away after he basically ruined the Beatles Help From My Friends. Sounded like he had a throat infection or wrecked vocal chords. He was probably better (well, at least somewhat) when he was in duets. But more than a few bought his albums, so...

carnaught

His voice was the male equivalent of Janis Joplin.

berri

Oh yeah, the "screecher". Can you imagine a group called Big Brother & the Holding Company with a female singer today

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

John Belushi ruined Joe Cocker for me, forever.

I still loved Joe Cocker, but the Belushi thing comes to mind, every time I think about him.

fintail

I only know that song from "The Wonder Years", so it is a positive association. When I think of Belushi, it is Blues Brothers and Little Chocolate Donuts.

berri

Don't forget white powdered donuts and the ring on the face it left

I'd like to see the Wonder Years on cable reruns.

fintail

Toyota first had the "aggressively sophisticated" Highlander, now I have seen an ad for the "sporty, aggressive" Camry. Should Toyota folk be encouraged to be aggressive? It might not work out so well.

roadburner

I love the ad where the BOLD Camry driver makes a low speed u-turn and the disclaimer at the bottom of the screen states: Professional driver on closed course; do not attempt!

fintail

Well, we don't want bold aggressive sporty Camrys slamming into curbs and parked cars while their drivers, emboldened by the ads, try to imitate them.

qbrozen

I've been seeing the one quite often lately where the Camry driver is behind an RV, a deer runs out in front of the RV, the RV brakes suddenly, and the Camry has to emergency brake to stop in time.

Anybody else see a problem with this scenario?

kyfdx

You mean the part where the driver can’t out brake an RV?

It disturbs me that all of these safety options seem designed for texters

qbrozen

So, the way I see it, Toyota is saying 1 of 3 things.

1. Camry drivers are tailgaters
2. Camry drivers are not paying attention
3. The Camry has really awful brakes

Which of these is the best key marketing message?

roadburner

qbrozen said:

So, the way I see it, Toyota is saying 1 of 3 things.

1. Camry drivers are tailgaters
2. Camry drivers are not paying attention
3. The Camry has really awful brakes

Which of these is the best key marketing message?

All of the above...

andres3

berri said:

Don't forget white powdered donuts and the ring on the face it left

I'd like to see the Wonder Years on cable reruns.

I'd like to get a DVD/Blu-Ray set of the Wonder Years seasons.

thebean

I hate the new VW "People First" warranty commercials. They make it seem like they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They should call it the "We cheated and people aren't buying our cars, so let's try this longer warranty tactic to see if we can sell enough cars to get some of the profit we lost to fines back" Warranty. How about a little truth for a change?

andres3

thebean said:

I hate the new VW "People First" warranty commercials. They make it seem like they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They should call it the "We cheated and people aren't buying our cars, so let's try this longer warranty tactic to see if we can sell enough cars to get some of the profit we lost to fines back" Warranty. How about a little truth for a change?

LOL. Subject to interpretation of course.

I thought it was the "We keep doing mediocre to poorly in CR reliability test results, so we are extending our warranty to show we have changed for the better now" warranty!

stickguy

well, come next summer when one person in my household will be buying (me or the daughter), it definitely puts VW on the possibility to buy list (not the lease only list).

imidazol97

kyfdx said:

You mean the part where the driver can’t out brake an RV?

It disturbs me that all of these safety options seem designed for texters

Sort of related to texters driving and texters walking...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5035191/Airbags-lampposts-protect-Salzburg-phone-users.html

stickguy

OH great. Nov. 1st, WS is not even over yet, and just saw a Lexus December to Remember event ad, complete with a monster SUV with a red bow on it in front of a McMansion. Fintail must be so excited!

ab348

Beat me to it!

Mr_Shiftright

Wouldn't it be fun to do that to someone but have it be a rental car?