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

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  • stormdavystormdavy Member Posts: 80
    The SL ad is a grabber, with the great "Unchained Melody" music from "Ghost" pulling you in if you're not in the room to begin with.

    There is a print ad in either Top Gear or Car: A cautiously smiling middle management type guy is in frontal view walking into his office. As he cracks open the door, a photo of his face, being used as a dartboard, is pasted on the wall to his right. In the foreground of the ad, the dart-thrower's raised arm and dart-holding hand is shown. Terrifically funny, but I can't recall what is being advertised.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    What a cliffhanger! You really have me curious. Anyone know?

    -juice
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    The ad you mention does appear in Car. Have it sitting infront of me right now. It's for Avensis Traffic Avoidance.

    Has the tagline of "Be careful. You might get there too early." What's funny is the confused look of the guy walking in.
  • stormdavystormdavy Member Posts: 80
    Yes! THanks. That is quite the facial expression. You could say it 'stuck' in my mind.

    There is another ad on TV for I don't remember which car. Possibly Lancer. It is good, yet annoying: an uncomfortable looking blond gal is talking with her more successful friend (who owns the car being promoted) and then gets introduced to a guy wearing loud clothes standing by a Gremlin or Pacer. Good facial moves there as well.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    Standing by a Gremlin and I think it's an ad for KIA.
  • kenjabikenjabi Member Posts: 76
    Along with the bridge jumping Yugo and the air conditioner man who's arm falls off, there's another Midas ad in the same light.

    This one, the Midas guy is talking about their warranty, and he explains it to an old lady (like in her 80's). The woman replies, "That's great, but can you do anything for these?" And she lifts up her shirt! They show the view from behind the woman and you see the two guys behind the counter. The looks on their faces is great!

    Then there's a Honda Civic ad with four young guys in the car. The fourth guy gets in and the other three are eating, reading, playing video games, etc. and he says, "So, where are we going?" The other 3 guys look at him like he's crazy, and then they all have a good laugh like he just said something totally stupid.

    I don't get it.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I guess they are saying the interior is comfortable? Either way, it's dumb.

    -juice
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,287
    In Canada at least, Honda has run 2 of the more irritating ads lately. A few months ago there was the obnoxious twit in a Civic making fun of a guy filling up his SUV at a gas station; now, the same guy I think, making a fool of himself mocking the gas station guy changing the prices on the sign. If I was ever inclined to buy a Civic, these would make me stop.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Haven't seen the gas station ads, but c'mon, does Honda really think anyone is comparison shopping the Civic and an SUV?

    I thought the 4 young guys in the Civic ad was dumb, too. But at least Honda targeted the right demographic for most new Civic drivers I see. (Although I drive an '88 Civic - that's different!)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I don't like the new Si commercial, where it sets off all the alarms in a parking garage, together sounding like hip-hop music. What, is the ride not smooth, so it sets off alarms?

    -juice
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,670
    The one where the people in the traffic control keep tripping the red lights so they can admire the lines of a gorgeous, smoke grey 911 coupe...
    great ad! It's a different take on the same theme as the Boxster ad where the Boxster driver
    must stop for the endless freight train.

    We have a saying in the ad biz: "it's easy to make a great ad for a great product".

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • verozahlverozahl Member Posts: 574
    ... you just gotta repeat those irritating, inane, and banal 'METRO DETROIT FORD DEALERS - THINK FORD FIRST - THINK FORD FIRST - WE'RE NUMBER ONE' ads ...
  • quark99quark99 Member Posts: 136
    Remember "Driving Excitement".. or "We Build Excitement"? Everytime I heard those taglines my mind replaced "Excitement" with "Excrement"...
    Sorry, but I giggled evertime I heard: "Pontiac. We Build Excrement."
  • verozahlverozahl Member Posts: 574
    ... indeed they do, Quark99. May I interest you in the Boy Racer Super Cladding Sport Excitement Special Value Package for your new Grand Am?

    Toyota commercials: They, um, show high respect for potential buyers... riiiiiiiiiiight.
  • verozahlverozahl Member Posts: 574
    ... Oldsmobile ads!
    I LOVE that suave voice... 'BACKED BY GM'!
    ... ooooh, that's inspiring.
  • speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    the Boy Racer Super Cladding Sport Excitement Special Value Package Grand Prix has BOOST! Call your friends and tell them you'll be there in no time -- you've got BOOST!!
  • svevarsvevar Member Posts: 160
    I have seen the commercial a few times and I like it, but I don't really think Porsches look that good. I'm sure they are fantastic cars, just not visually appealing, not to me, anyway.
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    After hearing about it here previously, I saw the Mercedes C-class ad for the first time last nite (during the NCAA Final).
    Good commercial, flashing back from the used-up car in the crusher and showing shots of its full life. I especially liked the shot from the interior, with the guy wiping off the window to peer inside the aging car as it was up for sale.

    Nice concept, showing the changing life of a durable car. And it was well done, with evocative images that held my attention and lingered afterward.
    Cars can have interesting 'lives' -but 'souls' (as the ad claims)?

    Oh, right, that's a different edmunds thread.
  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Saw it for first time during the game, thought it was pretty cool.
  • loncrayloncray Member Posts: 301
    Not sure which model it was, but the basic gist was that this guy had died and gone to Hell. The devil drove him around in this Hyundai, but when the guy asked if he could drive it, the devil says "No, dude, this is Hell - you get the minivan!" Last shot is the guy in the drivers seat of an old Aerostar or Voyager or something, screaming.
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    Yeah, I saw that ad last nite, too.

    So I guess the devil drives a Hyundai.

    If there is a hell, I can only hope that having to drive a minivan is the worst punishment...
  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Haven't seen that ad. I thought you were going to tell me Satan says, "Sure, take the Hyundai! After all, this is Hell, and I'm reserving all my Daewoos for the Enron guys!"
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,670
    The VW ad with the dweeb who drags his GF out to watch him make the power windows go up and down.

    It was funny the first couple of times but they're running it to death. Arnold's other VW ads wear better.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • phaedrysphaedrys Member Posts: 37
    Actually...that ad kinda cracks me up.

    Maybe that's just cause I just got a VW and when I realized my GTI could do that too the first thing I thought of was to run and drag my girlfriend outside ;)
  • verozahlverozahl Member Posts: 574
    ... Electronics Engineers, er, Drivers, Wanted!
  • pohsybpohsyb Member Posts: 11
    is the one where they cut between shots of a wedding about to start and a guy in a tux driving as fast as he can. The music is absolutely beautiful, I totally empathize with the glimpse of the guy screaming behind the wheel, and the end of the commercial where you find out he wasn't actually the groom (handled without talking, but glances)is surprising and intriguing and well done.
  • svevarsvevar Member Posts: 160
    I agree! I absolutely love that ad. I think it's one of the best I have ever seen, and all without any talking.
  • verozahlverozahl Member Posts: 574
    Lexus IS300... winding road in ? Scottish countryside? Wow... cars does flies out and blasts the curves!
    "The long and winding road... leads to your LEXUS dealer... pursuing perfection!"

    Schweet.
  • 3871338713 Member Posts: 26
    Ford has these commercials for individual models talking about how that particular car is better than the other cars in its class, or how it outsells its competition. For example, they talk about how the Explorer outsells its counterparts from Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota. I also saw one for the Mustang. They talk about how it outsells the Camaro and Firebird, and then say that the competition won't be around for long. They end their commercials saying, "Home of 5 of the 10 best sellers." Why would I buy a Ford just because other people buy them? Who buys a car simply based on sales numbers? It seems like Ford is trying to blow their own horn with cheap shots now that Chevy is outselling them.
  • svevarsvevar Member Posts: 160
    It's funny I was just recently at the New York Auto Show and I was looking through Ford and GM brochures, and they were the only ones that emphasized their vehicles' supposed superiority to competitors. All of the other brands touted their own achievements without putting down the competition. This is the more tasteful method of advertising, in my opinion.
  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Remember when it was taboo to mention your competition in ads? If my memory serves, this "gentleman's agreement" was first broken by Burger King about 20 years ago, aimed at you-know-who. I agree, it's much classier to rise above that. You never see BMW or Mercedes dogging each other in ads.

    Drove to Philly this weekend, saw a couple of billboards for the Mini Cooper of all things. One was great. It has a frontal pic of the car, and in big text, "Let's sip, not guzzle." Below that, it goes on about reasons to go small - reclaim your garage, be nimble, etc.
  • speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    I read in Newsweek another punchline they used on a billboard was something like, "large vehicles may be attempts to compensate for shortcomings in other areas". Pretty funny!
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    I kinda like the new one, where they're in hell (with the Devil played by the guy who plays Clare's boyfriend on 'Six Feet Under'). Devil takes a guy for a drive, after which guy asks the devil if he can drive, devil replies, 'no, this is hell, you get the minivan' or something. Kinda fun.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    There is an entire little booklet in some new car mags, I think C&D for one. It's pretty interesting. One of the few ads I read all the way through.

    -juice
  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Now that you mention it, yes, that line was in the billboard I saw. Most of it is somewhere in my subconscious, since I was trying to read it while flying down I-76 in 70 mph traffic.
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    The billboard I've seen says, "Soon small will mean huge the way bad means good..."

    If you haven't checked them out, the mini website http://www.miniusa.com has some pretty funny commercials you can view. I especially like the first one.


    -Jason

  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Was all revved up, saw an ad with Cindy Crawford getting out of a Mercedes G-Wagon. But it turned out to be a stupid Pepsi commercial.
  • storytellerstoryteller Member Posts: 476
    I love one that just started running in this area that is a parody of nature films. A Totyota truck (Tundra?) stalks through the weeds. No driver, just the truck moving stealthily. It comes on a waterhole, and there is a Ford 150. The 150 spins (no driver again) and then bolts off through the bush. Toyota chases. Cut to a scene where the Toyota is triumphantly dragging the 150 backwards back to camp. Very funny!
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    I like the XTerra ad I saw the other nite: a kayaker is fighting his way thru the surf in the thick fog. He hits his keyfob and lights appear. Then we see the lights are his XTerra, perched on some rocks at the shoreline.
    I forget the tagline, but it is something about using your vehicle as a lighthouse or foghorn.
    Very entertaining. Looking forward to seeing it again.
  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    Yeah, something about another way to use your Xterra, then the line they have used since it came out, "Everything you need, nothing you don't." My new fave is the Joe Isuzu ad for the Axiom. Don't like the car, love the ad. When his floating head says "America's longest, sexiest warranty", I crack up every time.

    A while back, our good host mentioned her dread of the Mitsubishi ad (Eclipse?) with the obnoxious chick in the pink English driving cap Euro dancing in the front passenger seat. Gotta agree, makes me cringe. I think the other new Mitsu ad - maybe Lancer? - is a miscalculation. Is there ANYONE who isn't tired of that Barenaked Ladies song?
  • speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    I agree with everyone else about the Eclipse ad with the Euro dancing chick being stupid, yet every time it comes on I'm transfixed. I can't look away -- it's like watching someone have a seizure.
  • tj_610tj_610 Member Posts: 132
    You are right, speterson1! It's like rubbernecking at an accident scene. You just can't look away. Actually, I find that ad so painful, the feeling it gives me is more like the dread, embarrassment, and small amount of humor you feel when watching your best friend humiliate himself trying to flirt with an attractive woman. I feel that same sort of pity for Mitsubishi when that ad comes on.
  • kenjabikenjabi Member Posts: 76
    Ugh, not me, I can't stand to even watch that Mitsu ad. As soon as I hear the first couple notes, I switch the station ASAP! The other Mitsu ads I'm ok with, although the 0/0/0 guy in their radio ads is pretty annoying.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Have you seen the Toyota Sales Event commercials? It claims that the Solara has more standard legroom than Accord coupe. Then, the ad touted a 1.9 APR rate on all Solaras. If the Solara is that good, how come there is a special deal on it? All the special fiancing rates are for slow selling models like the Toyota 4Runner.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Have you seen those Mazda zoom-zoom commercials? The kid looks like he likes his mom's MPV. Plus, after the kid wispers "zoom-zoom" the announcer screams "ZOOM-ZOOM-ZOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,670
    It was unremarkable, much less offensive then those idiotic "keys" ads. What caught my attention was a brief flash of a Winston Cup Pontiac Grand Prix. AS IF the car you can buy was anything like the RWD V8 powered unit they run in NASCAR.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    First is for the Honda Accord. A pregnant woman is shown painting her future baby's room with her husband. Then she sits in the room while the paint dries.

    Totally irresponsible - the fumes are harmful to the unborn baby. How could they overlook that and set such a poor example?

    The other is the new Seville ad. I actually like most in that series, with the "Been a long time since I rock and roll" theme. But the Seville is FWD, old-style Cadillac. The song should be reserved for the new Art & Science cars, and not the FWD (CTS, XLR, Escalade).

    The guy drives a Cadillac race car through the streets, and then looks back and it's - a FWD car with serious torque steer issues and part of the reason Cadillac hasn't rocked in a long time!

    Gimme a break.

    -juice
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    jchan2: "Have you seen the Toyota Sales Event commercials? It claims that the Solara has more standard legroom than Accord coupe."

    -Are you saying this is untrue?
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    I've been seeing and paying attention to the Mitsu ad with the pink-hatted woman moving to the beat in the passenger seat.

    It doesn't bother me as it seems to bother some others here, maybe because I can't deny that the Eclipse is an eye-catching automobile. I like their lines. I'm not saying I want to own one, but they always make me stare at them when I see them.
  • zscott1zscott1 Member Posts: 19
    I haven't seen that ad, but they must be trying to get across that the Accord is as exciting as watching paint dry.
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