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

pjyoung

zoom zoom. Need I say more?

rickabt

These ads upset me, too, because they are trying to create an image for Mitsubishi that absolutely doesn't exist. Advertisers try to create feeding frenzies out of pure dust ... but most attempts turn out like the Gap/Old Navy's drawstring pants; go to any clearance rack and you'll see a ton of them.

"The fastest growing car company"? It's not hard to achieve that when you consider that their sales levels were so low just years ago ... an increase of 50,000 sales would result in an incredible percentage of sales growth if your an automotive also-ran.

wonderwall

i agree totally. i find the most annoying to be the ones where the guy is at the gym and they announce something to the effect of "there's a grey minivan outside with it's lights on." this is a commercial for the mitsubishi suv. i never have understood why people perceive the suv to be more hip & socially acceptable than a minivan. i guess i am totally out of the loop.

rassom1

The stupid Toyota commercials in French and Spanish?

Give me a break!!!!

rickabt

It just so happens that Mitsubishi is one of the few manufacturers that does not make a minivan in America. On the world market, however, Mitsubishi is as "guilty" as anybody for the proliferation of six-passenger boxy compact family shuttles across England's A38.

rickabt

That's what I would call "having it both ways."

crkeehn

that lauds luxury features like a steering wheel, engine and brakes.

By the way, sorry about the scribbling of 159. When i saw the billboard again this morning, I realize that I had made a mistake in quoting Nissan.

rickabt

The latest Pontiac Bonneville commercials touts the new "Magnasteer" system as the perfect compliment to a car already suited for espionage. Apparently, "Magnasteer" is so precise that the car can "outhandle itself."

Outhandle itself? Handling too good for its own good? That sounds like a disaster on a mountain pass, doesn't it?

What I wanna know is when the getaway driver presses the button which changes the color of his Bonneville from black to silver, how much is that option, and how come I can't find the option code here in Edmunds?

checkme

A friend's father is a engineer for NASA; he works on the Space Shuttle program. It is very, very disconcerting to hear him pronounce vehicle as "ve-HICK-el"...

I didn't care for the GM commercials with the children's toy at first (what is that thing called? A View-Master?) but they are really starting to grow on me.

carnut4

since I was a kid, watching all the radical new car announcements every fall. Here we have commercials for the Subaru Outback and Chevy Suburban identical to the 2000 versions, and identical cars. Just run 'em another year I guess...heck they all look the same anyway.

haspelbein

...picking up on some older posts in this thread. I used to drive a Ford Tempo during my 'early years'. The car was ugly, but practical and reliable. I loved it.

Now when I see the Galant commercial where the Tempo is used as the 'absolutely uncool' car. It almost feels to me like somebody is making fun of a good friend of mine who is not so good looking.

Maybe I'm too emotional about this, but you won't find my buying a Galant any time soon.

amora

I find the commercial for the MAXIMA ridiculous
in the extreme, WHO IN THE HELL DRIVES SPORTS
SEDANS at high speed in the desert?? If they
would show the car commercials in every day
driving ie...stuck in horrific and dastardly
bumper to bumper, stop-n-go ala los angeles
freeways at 4:00 in the afternoon and how much
fun you can have driving one, then maybe i will
respect the advertisers.

TO THE ADVERTISING GENIUSES: STOP THIS
FORM OF ADVERTISING IMMEDIATELY AND SHOW US
DOWN TO EARTH EVERYDAY CONDITIONS....

amora

Uh err, the background music is fine....leave it

gladichecked

are aiming at the gen-x audience...they do have good background music.

Was watching Craig Kilbourn the other night and during "In The News" he said he couldn't get this song out of his head..."zoom zoom zoom". ;^)

haspelbein

I don't think there has been anything as pervasive and annoying since the Purina commercials. ('Meow, meows, meow, meow...')

gladichecked

Many commercials like that can be annoying, but very effective. It gets in your head and you can't get it out...lol. My condolences on the loss of your Miata. I would like to test drive an 01 with the 15 extra ponies. Have you heard about the 01 special edition Protege MPS coming out in April. It will have a 2.0L 150hp engine pulling it, larger wheel base (17" or 18"...I can't remember), stiffer suspension, mp3 player, etc. There is a link with pictures in the Protege forum if you want to take a look.

Sylvia

My 6mo. old daughter loves the Zoom zoom commercial. Only problem is it gets you singing the stupid jingle all day. Doh! I can't get it out of my head!

scotian

I'm not sure if this one has been covered here yet, but there's an ad for a minivan that has several pathetic wide-eyed kids asking you, their parent, if you would do things for them, like "Would you run into a burning building for me?", a couple more things you wouldn't ever want to do unless it was to save your kid, and then the final horrific thing: "Would you buy a minivan?"

What were they thinking, comparing buying their product with running into a burning building?

ludacris

LIKE

1. Nissan Maxima commercials, my parents own one : ) But i like the commercials, theyre simple, upbeat and not cheesy. i also think notes made throughout the ad ("cars like it:0") are smart and true.

2. i like the jetta commercial with the guy callin his wife to check out how all the windows can go down if you turn the key..lol its really funny, i can also sorta see myself doing that : )

3. the ford escape commercial with activites like "BIKER" popping up from a persons real job like business marketing expert or sumthing.

4. the cartoony mercedes C class commercial, actually i like most of the recent benz ads.

5. UNIVERSAL CITY NISSAN, that ad is damn funny. its only on power 106 a rap/r&b radio station in LA. the ad just has one of the most loved DJs ive ever heard of "Big Boy" rappin and singing with other guys in a real catchy style. at school ive heard more than 10 people singing that song and everyone just laughin along..very effective

6. the mistsubishi commericals that tell you "time for a new car", i just find them really funny and entertaining.

7. the kia commecial where theyre making fun of the Florida "chad problem". then they say how theyve been having a chad problem too..next they show 3 old ladies counting votes and then a guy named chad blasts through the door and starts acting like a weird [non-permissible content removed]. it sound stupid, but thats hte reason its funny to me.
DISLIKE

1. BMW, their ads are too serious and boring..but they werent aimed at my age group, i think?

2. pontiac commercials, especially the grand am going thru this metal world. i find that commercial really stuipd, but the musics good.

3. all dodge commercials suck, ive seen enough of the red dodge/white background thing.

4. im too sexy camry, this has been mentioned in this board before and needs no more explanation lol

mateyo

Here in Texas the pickup rules. So every morning during the early news it's either "Like A Rock" or Alan Jackson singing about F-150s at EVERY commercial break. Enough already! The commercials do update every so often but the songs have been the same for years.

I do like: the Solara convertible ad -- very ummm... nice, and the Camry "I'm Too Sexy" ad. Obviously Toyota is being very tongue-in-cheek here and that's what makes it funny. And I find the Aztek camping ad ironic because they use the lead actor from "Queer As Folk" in a spot about a romantic adventure weekend with a beautiful woman. LOL.

bdreggors

Hmm...now that's a tidbit that you won't find anywhere else...:)

I like the commercials for the Suzuki XL-7 depicting the unwieldiness of huge SUVs, simply because its true.

ravvie4me

The best commercial is the one that features the collage of Toyota SUVs, with their names (Sequoia, Highlander, etc...) derived from the Land Cruiser, showing Toyota's SUV heritage.

The worst commercial is any ChryCo commercial, especially the minivan ones. "The best minivan ever" LOL don't make me laugh! Those new one's with the Stratus in the ghettos with those chrome rims are bad to. As someone said before, the bright red on a dull background is kind of annoying.

jkidd2

Love:

Love the Lexus commerical with the man sleeping next to his new IS in the garage...

Love the Lexus commercials with the various idiots driving while eating their breakfast, looking for their CD's, etc...everything but driving....its funny because its so very true!

The new Civic commerical with the little boy in the back seat trying to put his legs against his sisters friends....cute...

I think its for the M-Class Mercedes where it shows a simulator of a normal SUV driving down the road and constantly hitting everything because it handles so bad....funny.

The new IS commercial where its running a rally and then a 3 Series comes around the corner and all the spectators start running to get out of the way of the Bimmer before it slides into them.

Hate:

Zoom Zoom Zoom....Mazda Tribute...that song got old after the first listen...

White rap (or whatever its supposed to be) Dodge commericials...

Hard Core Grand Am...."I want a hard core"...with the trendy looking models...ugh..

Any Aztec commercial...almost makes me lose my lunch everytime I see one...

Mazda Protege commercial with the trendy 20 somethings and the pop/electronic music...almost sounds just like those annoying Dodge adds.

If I hear "Stayin Alive" one more time while they show flipping M-Class' over and over I am going to do an Elvis and shoot my TV.

ravvie4me

good: The new Toyota Tacoma commercials where all the guys pull up in the Tacoma and see bears digging in their campsites. Then they hop out of the truck, go kick the bear's butts and say "You just can't be messin' with a man's salad. Word up!" or something to that extent.

jkidd2

Back cover of the January issue of Motor Trend is an add for the BMW X5.

Just a photo of the X5 going down a road, with the print: Cost: $39,470, feels like: $1,000,000., You save: $960,530.

In very small (and blurry) font @ the top of the page it indicates the X5 shown in the photo goes for $50,820!

I realize you see these types of adds all the time where they say one price, but the car they show costs more...but the add print is clearly trying to make you believe the X5 shown can be had for 39k. I know its not illegal, but it sure is false advertising...just because everyone does it, doesn't make it right.

bdreggors

That's funny! You know, it just goes to show you that listing it as $50K would really dissuade more buyers.

Good:
Caddy Seville commercial that shows the LeMans racer with a bumper sticker that reads, "My other car is an STS." Cute...even though they lost :-(

New Civic commercial showing the guy covering his car when he picks up his date and then removing it mintues later.

Suzuki XL-7 commercials depicting excessive SUVs...very true and funny, especially when that SUV takes out the traffic light...man, that was good!

Bad:
Toyota Avalon commercial...is it really necessary to show the same darn commercial incessently??

Annoying:
Zoom zoom...'nuff said!

bdreggors

Nearly forgot.

Annoying:
That "ReVOLVOlution" crap. Ugh...

sonyfocus

where two identical good-looking cars (possibly Passats?) pull up to a traffic light, one driven by an attractive female, one by an attractive male. They look over at each other, make eye contact and smile. Suddenly, a beanie baby or similar toy gets thrown onto the guy's dashboard. The woman in the other car laughs and looks back at the road. Embarassed, he kind of hunkers down looks into his rearview and sees a child, laughing, in the back seat of his car. As the cars proceed through the light, the woman also looks into her rearview and catches the eye of a laughing child who is in a car seat in her own car. I don't remember how this particular ad tied in with actually selling the car, just liked the split second where the toy plunks on the dashboard ending what may have been an innocent flirtatious moment between two strangers.

Did not really like the recent VW commercial during the Super Bowl where the two guys were rattling a tree and a red VW dropped down.

Personal favorites are the one where the VW is being washed in a driveway but does not belong to the guy who is actually washing the car. The second is the Jetta/grocery cart discussed above.

And yes, I own a Jetta and love it, but did not buy it because of the ads. Actually, I only saw the commercials after buying the car.

VW definitely has the best current car commercials.

hiwaysanity

are repeated over, and over, and over . . . I even stopped listening to the #1 radio station in the Boston Market because of repeat ads. When you can drive for 15 minutes and hear the same ad three times, it is annoying! I wonder if the advertisers realize that they may be reducing their markets by annoying potential customers.

ludacris

speaking of superbowl..."What are you doooiing??" i think that and the monkey from etrade walking thru the ruins of .com companies had to be the best. i especially like the part when the chimp saw the pets.com puppets and a tear fell from his eye hahahaha. the bob dole commerical was pretty funny too. i didnt get either of the VW commercials. the tree and the wedding thing..

bdreggors

I didn't really like the wedding one either. I thought that the tree one was funny, but not THAT funny. Kind of a stretch when you think about it. Then again, I guess commercials aren't supposed to be thought out.

To answer your question:
Watchin' the Market, drinkin' an import ;-)

carlady

The VW GTI in the tree wasn't too bad. The Running of the Squirrels was a hoot. It seemed like this year's commercials were making fun of last year's commercials -- the sock monkey, etc.

My far and away favorite ad was the one with Sarah Ferguson for Merrill Lynch. Top of the pops!!! A classic!

carlady
Host
News & Views and Hatchbacks Message Boards

crkeehn

I'm sorry, I can't remember if anyone else mentioned the ad for the Mercedes SUV, showing damaged barriers with skidmarks leading to them. I love that ad.

protegextwo

Zoom Zoom Zoom!!!

greg116

LOVE:

The Dodge commercial where they show off the entire lineup through evolving displays. Good music too.

The VW dropping from the tree, all the "Really love their cars" ads, particularly the shopping cart.

BMW Commercials - The advertisement for the M5 where they show it as the photo vehicle for a jet-powered desert dragster.

The Jeep commercial (only in Canada) where they advertise it as the vehicle that helped build the trans-canada trail.

Chevy Silverado ads. Classic song, good trucks.

"Toyota Truck" ads. My favorite? 4Runner.

HATE

Ford SUV commercials - Explorer Sport: "Speedbump" and the Sport Trac "Carpool". I like the Explorer Sport though.

F-150 Supercrew "phone message" ad. Who's gonna haul steel pipes and a piano in that tiny box?

Aztek Ads, although I LIKE THE AZTEK AND WOULD BUY ONE IF I NEEDED SOMETHING LIKE IT.

"Zoom Zoom Zoom."

dweezil

ad I've seen,that absolutely caught the entire image of the car, the aspirations of the buyer and just the lush mystique of the car better than any other- The Jaguar ad from 2 or 3 years ago with I believe Etta James in the background singing "At Last...[our love will come along...]" with shots of the car gliding by.It got me. Sweeeeet!
Worst; The Chrysler 5 Star service ads. OB-NOX-ious.Of COURSE; EVERY Chrysler dealership has a "strong" woman running things! When was the last time??? Of course the "boys" hop to; no problem! Sexist, unreal, sound is bad. It's almost embarassing.
Also liked the Cadillac ads with the current Eldorado passing a 59, and the tag line: "It's not what's new. It's what's NEXT!" So much better than "the power of "AND".And WHAT? AND NOTHING!

dbakalar

I completely forgot about that commercial! That one was one of my absolute favorites. I also liked the commercial for the new Jag 'S' Type with Sting in the back seat singing. Not sure why he wasn't DRIVING it, but I liked the commercial. I STILL love most of the VW commercials, with the exception of the new GTI falling out of the tree. And is the ZOOM ZOOM commercial finally over? That little kid just ANNOYS me almost as much as the little Pepsi girl.

dweezil

I'd like to send them BOTH to their rooms!!!
I had an INTENSE dislike for those early Nissan Pathfinder or XTERRA commercials with Lenny Kravitz in the back ground.Maybe I,m just an old f*rt, but they beat that to DEATH...and I hated it more every time it came on! I almost dislodged the "mute" button on my remote control trying to turn the sound down.Made me wish for Infiniti's first rocks and trees commercials.[Which actually gave the car a mystery and "something" that Lexus doesn't have to this day]-something almost eerie in the way the Tucker was,the kind of surreal peacfulness and completeness of Japanese decorating. Can't explain it, really, but even though it was great fodder for the comics,it sort of gave the thing the air of a resurrected Packard-something REALLY special. [of course it could have just been the soshi [sp?] screens at the display at the Auto Show!!!].

timothyadavis

I think the Jeep Cherokee commercial is great in which the couple arrives back home and exits their totally mud-coated Cherokee. However, before they can reach the front door of their beautiful white house, the Cherokee begins a wind up a la wet dog. As the couple turns to notice, it then proceeds to shake off the mud in spatters all over the couple, the driveway, the surrounding vegetation and the front of the house. The final shot is a remaining glob flicked off with a wiper blade which plops decisively into the man's face. As the camera pulls away you see the now-clean and glistening Jeep in the midst of its cast off mud debris.

It may not sell the thing, but it was a brilliant idea....

dweezil

The couple have run up into the woods and stopped to watch a deer.
"Honey' get the camera"!
She reaches for the camera, finds a big handle like thing and says< "What's this?"
The guy says "Don't pull it!", but too late,the inflatable boat explodes and pushes BOTH their faces into the front window, which you see fom a medium shot outside the car. Funny for slapstick.I love it. Zoom Zoom THAT Mazda!

protegextwo

Zoom Zoom Zoom! I just got to Zoom Zoom Zoom!

Mazda:

Most
Always
Zooming
Delightfully
Along

Zoom Zoom Zoom!

dweezil

Well, if that's the way you feel about it......don't worry be happy!!! Still an awful commercial-almost as bad as those Carl's Jr. dripping hamburger commercials. But have it your way....I think you need a bigger box!!!! :-}

greg116

The Pathfinder ad that shows it going UP the ski hill. I want to do that some day. It's actually not too hard if you've got the right tires and enough power.

I hate that "end of the earth" Ford commercial. Yeah sure like only Explorers can go that far. They shouldnt try going to the other end, cause thats where all the ZR2 people are hangin!

markz2k

Those Carl's commercials bug me, too. A lot! I use to go to Carls for lunch 3 times a week, sometimes more. As soon as they started those gross commercials, I stopped, and have only been back 1 or 2 times since. (Only because someone else was driving, and I had no choice.) They've been running those for years, I guess it doesn't bother most people. Even Taco Bell finally got rid of that STUPID dog; I avoided them too.

Sylvia

andre1969

Of course they have to throw in a song about a great Plymouth in the background!
"Ooohhh....Barracuda!!"
-Andre

protegextwo

We CAN take a hint. You liked the Taco Bell, dog uh?

-Larry

crkeehn

Now whenever we go by Taco Bell my 4 year older starts screaming Bring Back the Dog.

markz2k

Sorry about that. Still, I'm glad to see it gone, those commercials were just extremely annoying. I think the dog ended up in the roadside cafe here on Edmunds. I never liked the Odyssey commercials with the dogs either, are they trying to say the odyssey isn't good enough for people?

timothyadavis

It was a PBS thing. I guess they figured that would appeal to "Honda people."