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

nvbanker

10 inchers, I believe. That's what I'm talking about, and while I was busy laughing, they snuck up behind us, and took control. And as disposable as Korean cars seem today, (you know, the cheapest car you can get), it could be sooner than we think, that they are suddenly in charge of a substantial portion of the market. And where do you think that market share will come from? Honda? Toyota? Doubt it. They can have all the market share from Fiat, I guess.....

andys120

there's a huge buzz going on about this new British Honda commercial for their version of the Accord wagon.

Read the story, click on the link and tell me how to download it... and of course how you liked it.
  
wagon.http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/178/nation/Whir_click_thu- - mp_an_ad_s_alluring_rhythm+.shtml

swschrad

and it just came down naturally as rain on my machines at home and work. for that to work, your browser has to support the format. Phoenix 0.5/Firebird 0.6, Mozilla 0.8 and up (current is 1.4.1 rc3), Netscape 3.x and up(current I think is 6.5), and IE 4.0 with a couple of service packs and up (current is 6.2) should all work nicely. with DSL at home, it took a minute plus to get the ad down and run it. dial up depends on what your actual speed is.

suvshopper4

The Japanese car makers were able to take away a lot of market share because Detroit had gotten complacent (no real competition), and totally botched the job of making cleaner-burning, more fuel-efficient cars.

I don't see that the Japanese have let up in their search to improve cars. That window isn't open to the Koreans.

I think some people are buying Hyundais and Kias because they are reminded of the early days of Honda and Toyota and Datsun, and want to believe they are getting similar quality for less money. But that jury is still out.

Until they prove that they can equal (or surpass) Japanese reliability and durability, the Korean carmakers can only compete on price and warranties (which could cost them plenty in the long run).

prophet2

You know, the one with the driver spooked as the police come up behind him with their dome lights flashing, but they pass him .........

Is it "409" by the Beachboys that's playing, even though there ain't no 409 in the current Impala?

a_l_hubcaps

I saw a really funny magazine ad for the VW Touareg. The first page shows a VW Golf stuck in the middle of a river, with water up to the door handles, and the driver standing next to it looking puzzled. Then you turn the page and you see a Touareg crossing the same stream with no problems. The slogan is, "It does what other Volkswagens don't." I thought this one was pretty clever.

Speaking of ads with two-page gimmicks, I remember there was an ad for the Honda Prelude Si in about 1989. One page showed the front of the car coming at you down the road, and said, "Quick! Turn the page!" The other side showed the back of the car speeding away and said, "Too late."

-Andrew L

lemko

...3.8 wouldn't rhyme with the rest of the lyrics. However, my 1994 Cadillac DeVille had a 4.9 V-8 which would rhyme. Did you notice the Chevrolet Caprice patrol car? There's some serious horsepower!

carguy58

could create some competition for the Japanese and in fact already have. Hyundai has really improved their quality/reliability. However I really don't see Kia doing anything.

As for Mitsu they are losing alot of money on those 0/0/0 deals. Mitsu's has those new commercials: will give you 100 dollars if you look at our product compared to Honda, Toyota, or Nissan. Mitsu is really desperate and sold cars to young people who could not afford them. Mitsu is in deep trouble.

lemko

Sounds like a easy way to make $100! There's got to be a catch! Could you imagine people lining up just to test drive a Mitsu with no intention of buying it or any other car getting an easy $100?

crkeehn

I enjoy the Sealy ad, why Sealy doesn't sell cars

18fan

I believe the catch with the Mitsu cash is that you have to buy a competitor's car within a designated time period after driving the Mitsu, in order to collect the $100.

a_l_hubcaps

The catch with the Mitsu test drive is that you have to buy a Honda or Toyota after testing the Mitsu, and then they will pay you $100.

-Andrew L

a_l_hubcaps

Ooh, simul-post! :-)

-Andrew L

nvbanker

Don't like the Mitsu cars, they're quirky. Love their ads still....

I have thought VW ads were the best, since their "everybody's getting the bug" ads in the 60's. Another car I wouldn't consider, but love the ads. What's in an ad, anyway? Does it motivate ANYBODY towards a certain car?

swschrad

if the impression is that of security, safety, and fun, you are inclined to favor that car. if the impressions are of junk, rust, and cheating lyin' hearts, well, that dog don't hunt.

ads of this type lead you, depending on how you see yourself, to build a mental short list of cars you want to check out. check 'em out, you might buy 'em.

ads of the "0 for 60 with a rebate and a date" type lead to acting on the impressions you have formed over the (days, weeks, years) of the previous ads, discussions with other fanciers, and reviews.

so ads are less powerful than hypnosis by Evil Doctor Doom (must..... buy..... hupmobile. must..... buy..... hupmobile) and more powerful than dust.

i_luv_toyota

"The catch with the Mitsu test drive is that you have to buy a Honda or Toyota after testing the Mitsu, and then they will pay you $100."

I didn't think they mentioned any specific brands. I thought they just said, "buy a competitor's vehicle" but I didn't hear any brands being mentioned.

Guess I have to see it again.

xccoachlou

Why do they have that annoying, whiny, unctuous guy asking all those questions?

nvbanker

GM needs a whole new ad agency, IMO. None of their ads have reached me, since they had that guy from Seinfeld driving a Seville, comparing it to a BMW.

suvshopper4

"Yeah, that's right."

nvbanker

Not David Putty, Elaine's boss who publishes the catalog.....I just can't remember his name!!!

swschrad

he's there so the agency can bill 15% of his talent fee and justify three copywriters on the account. pure and simple.

prove me wrong.

suvshopper4

Oh, Mr Peterman - John O'Herlihy (sp?).

nvbanker

THAT'S HIM! Thank you! IMO, he made a great ad for the Seville. Made me consider one, but wasn't in the market at the time.

suvshopper4

"prove me wrong."

Thanks for the offer of free homework, but I'll pass.

Just as well, since I don't understand the assignment in the first place.

nvbanker

Funny, neither do I. Thought it was just me!

swschrad

that came up with the smarty-pants little snot in the goodwrench commercials. it would have tested terribly in front of a real audience, so I assume they never hired folks to watch commercials for the campaign to weed out the most insulting options.

i_luv_toyota

This guy is annoying, he reminds me of the Verizon "Can you here me now? Good!" doofus.

i_luv_toyota

If you missed this Toyota debacle over the past week for Toyota's "Independence Day/July 4th" (which means you lucky Canadians didn't have to see it) sale, consider yourself lucky! Thought it was torture enough hearing it on the radio until seeing it on TV! The phrase was set to music, too. Thank God it ends July 7th (Monday).

The title phrase was of course derived from the "letter" ads where a guy is speaking about buying a Camry.

nvbanker

Can't remember the last Toyota ad I liked.....

andre1969

in response to your 409 comment awhile back, I guess they could've twisted the lyrics around to sing "She's real great my three-point-eight!", or "She's the one my 231!". Doesn't quite sound the same, though!

andre1969

I liked the old ads where they'd sing "You asked for it- you got it, TOY-O-TA!" Geeze, that must've been what, late 70's/early 80's.

nvbanker

Nope, didn't like that one either, Andre. But I love your response to Lemko!

ab348

I'm a Canadian, but I get WPIX on cable and in watching some Mets games the last week I too was subjected to that awful Toyota ad. It truly was a terrible jingle/slogan.

Whenever I think of the Mets I think of the '69 team and the sign on the Shea Stadium scoreboard that year: "Plymouth - official car of the Mets". Their theme song that year (Plymouth's, that is) was set to the tune of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" as in: "... the Plymouth win-you-over beat goes on..." Better than Toyota's, that's for sure.

andre1969

has an old video tape of car commercials, and one of the commercials is that "Beat goes on". I liked it...real groovy, man! They had stuff like horns, turn signals, windshield wipers, lights, and such going off in rhythm with the beat.

VW actually did a vaguely similar commercial awhile back, that had a man and a woman in a VW, listening to a slow techno track, and everything going on in the street, such as turn signals, guys loading crates off a truck, etc, was all in rhythm with the beat.

fezo

Indeed - Plymouth was the official car. I think that's what they gave Clendennon for being MVP in the World Series....

I'm in the "I can't think of a Toyota ad I ever liked" camp. Horrible things. Any time "Toyotathon" or some similar miserable thing comes up it time for the remote! Would rather watch a dog food commercial. Would probably rather eat the dog food!

At least Honda ads are merely blah as opposed to the consistently annoying Toyota ads.

lemko

...I've ever seen was not for a particular car but for a local car stereo shop. It aired in the mid '70s. The announced shouts "...we'll even put your system in your car for no extra cost!" Right then he throws the unit through the windshield of some '60s beater.

speterson1

...and that was the Matrix ad that switches between live shots of the car and the rotoscoping/animation cartoon version. Saw that one first in the movie theaters as a commercial during the movie previews, and saw it several months later on TV a few times.

I liked that ad a lot better than Pontiac's ads for its brother, the Vibe, which captured the reactions of the people on the street ("we can make smoothies!!").

prophet2

According to "Joy in Mudville," by George Vecsey, Clendenon got a Dodge Challenger for being Series MVP. Volkswagen then gave a car to "little" Al Weis (.222 lifetime BA, .454 in the series) for his contribution to the Amazin' Mets win. Great PR move on their part ........

fezo

You are right - Dodge Challenger. Would have gone to an Oriole if things had gone the other way. Had nothing todo wit the official car of the Mets.

I love the Al Weis story. I remember Clendenon saying that Weis was the MVP. I also remembered Clendenon didn't offer him the car.....

andys120

They feature the new Toureg doing "what other VWs
can't do. The one with the Beetle owner trying to tow a trailer is amusing. IMO the one with the Beetle attempting to ford a stream and the Jetta attempting to run thru a snowbank are dumb:

1)Why compare to other cars in your lineup? Shouldn't they say "what most cars can't do" and show non-descript cars attempting to do these things.

2)How many owners of +$30k vehioles use them to ford streams? It's a dumb idea in any vehicle unless you know exactly what's down there and how deep it is. That's something best left to mountain bikes.

3)How often does anyone need to breach a 2 1/2 foot wall of packed snow?

odie6l

with the winter we had in the northeast this past year... plenty of times. I've taken my escape through some snow walls that have been made by the PennDOT plows just to get onto a side street or driveway. Didn't have a single problem.

Odie

swschrad

in this part of the country, it counts.

as for fording the stream, etc... it would appear obvious that VW is first trying to retain its existing owners with these ads. if the current coil-blaster is "farfromgruvin," they want 'em to trade up.

the ads aren't bad enough for me to barf on my shoes yet.

i_luv_toyota

those VW Touareg (sp?) ads. The one fording the stream was a Golf, not a Jetta, BTW.

"Musta rained last night, duh, huh, huh, huh."

I don't care if that thing can ford the Hudson River, it's so ugly I would leave it down there!

badgerfan

Anyone seen the magazine ads for Lexus RX330, with the fake German magazine titled "Uber Auto"? Seems they still have some deep down inferiority complex to European, technology, having to make up a fake European magazine cover in the ads. Betcha they don't run that one in Europe.

andys120

they should follow Toyota's F1 Racing team and set up shop in Germany (curious considering most F1 teams including McLaren-Mercedes and Williams-BMW operate out of Britain).

i_luv_toyota

One is for the Toyota Corolla where some black guy derives pleasure from driving the car across the street (doing a "uey" ie Uturn) and then pulling the car up to a building next to where he just parked. It looked like it was filmed in an NYC-esque area. But what really agrevated me was the way they said the car's name. Toy-O-ta Cor-O-lla (but comes out smoother than it looks, picture a "soulfull" guy saying it)....

Another is a Nissan Frontier ad to the yelling of drill sergeants. It like the truck is supposed to be a soldier at boot camp or something. They show it driving over a rough gravel surface with MASSIVE bed/frame flexing. And at the end it says "SHIFT_toughness." I'm sorry, but a plastic tupperware truck is not tough, especially one that flexes like that.

nvbanker

Of the Japanese companies, I can tolerate Mazda & Honda ads ok, the Mitsubishi Ads I like, but nobody I know likes them. The rest are really bad, especially Toyota......IMHO

carguy58

They have the commercials where they tell you how much it cost to run a Corolla or a Camry a day. I don't like those commercials but then again thats the audience who Toyota is targeting(people in their late 30's/40's with family's.)

I saw the new Mitsu Endeavor commercial with the family in the truck. It was pretty cool.

Also the Corollas commercial that was shot in a NYC esque area thats the commercial where the guy has the remote keyless entry, gets into the car and meets his friends at a party? I like that commercial actually.

just4fun2

Since we all pay for the commercial (advertising) costs when we purchase a new car, does anyone think they are effective in getting you to buy that car?

The most annoying commercial is the one that runs back to back to back, one after the other!

i_luv_toyota

"Also the Corollas commercial that was shot in a NYC esque area thats the commercial where the guy has the remote keyless entry, gets into the car and meets his friends at a party? I like that commercial actually."

Yes, that's the one I was referring to. You won't like it after you've seen it for the millionth time...