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

rctennis3811

Watching the Grammys and I just finished watching the Saturn commercial where the cars find the people. It's an old commercial, but it puts a smile on my face and is kinda cute...homely even.

badgerfan

The problem with the Galant commercial is that in the commercial itself you get absolutely no information that the Galant did better, and most people are not going to jump up and get on their computer to "see what happens". I sure didn't to this day. Thus the commercial itself was a big waste in my opinion. If you want to show what happens, then show it in the commercial. You can back it up at web site with statistics, but the commercial itself did nothing for the Galant.

2003tls

I agree. I saw the Mitsubishi ad but it didn't tell me anything, and I was not about to rush to my computer to find out (and I still haven't). Not effective at all.

2003tls

And yes, I love the "Hemi, sweet" ads. Especially the one with the two guys day dreaming (with the burgers on fire).

i_luv_toyota

I thought that ad was stupid too. Honestly, tell me how many times you come upon two tractor trailers throwing old Nissan Sentras out the back? Any car built these days should be able to handle road obstacles to some degree, with all the emphasis on safety these days. My RAV4 was able to swerve around a bike that fell off of someone's car on the NJ turnpike (after getting off the Garden State Parkway) on the way back from a weekend in Atlantic City one time. And this was about 70-75 mph, too, in a top-heavy (albeit small) SUV. I'm sure my 1991 Camry would have done just as good. Apparently, Mitsubishi will take any steps to make that ugly Galant look good, it need all the help it can get.

I did like the song, though.

suvshopper4

Maybe Mitsu just wants more people to think of the Galant as being an alternative to the Camry, and the website info is just a little bonus for the spec 'n' tech people.

If so, they've probably succeeded with that commercial.

badgerfan

They would've been more effective showing both cars side by side turning into an equal radius curve at the same speed and showing the Camry tip up nearly onto two wheels. If the camera shot from the rear, they could even show that ugly tailpipe hangin' down on the Camry!

6thbeatle

i like that car commercial where beyonce knowles dances and slithers around in a tight gold dress and, uh, what was the name of that car again?

svevar

I read an article today about the Galant Super Bowl commercial. I still like it, and I jumped up and went to SeeWhatHappens.com after I saw it (well, the next day, anyway). According to the article, the campaign has been rather successful. Hundreds of thousands have visited the website, and "the number of Web visitors who requested brochures, checked the dealer locator, or read the brand's new-vehicle warranty in one day equaled the normal monthly figures for the same consumer engagement activities on mitsubishicars.com."

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=39755

fintail

There's a Honda commercial here that bugs me...it's not the commercial so much as what it features. It's the one with the dog sticking his head out of the Accord coupe window and enjoying the breeze...as the car is parked. The car is a strippo (relatively) Accord LX coupe, hubcaps and all. How many actually even exist like that? Most I see are EX, loaded up.

6thbeatle

hey, thanks for the link! that was a good mitsu commercial, but i already liked the oddball galant gts, so they were preaching to the converted. good use of mixed media though, eh?

speterson1

ad is pretty entertaining, although you have to classify it into the category of "tells you absolutely zero about the product". Guy has a nice frisbee catch with his mouth...

ab348

That Honda "Raised by Wolves" ad irritates the heck out of me. I guess it's just another in a series of ads that challenge the viewer with more and more stupid premises...

swschrad

they did another last fall. wimp in a suit was on a park bench when he remembered doing his nursing on a wolf.

dude, if I worled in that service department, I'd be real careful not to rile the customers....................

loncray

No, that other raised by wolves commercial was for Quizno's subs. I remember two versions of it; the one where he's nursing was kinda gross but there was another version that I don't remember now. Kinda odd that the phrase "raised by wolves" would show up in two commercials within weeks of each other, for completely different products. I do like the Honda ad though.

2003tls

For the second Super Bowl in a row, Honda showed a lame ad that they had been showing for months earlier. What a waste. The Super Bowl is when you launch a new commercial, not replay an old one (especially one that is lame and tells you nothing about the product).

swschrad

next look for hondas to claim they're toasted to ride better.

(( no pinto jokes, please ))

ineto6

Hmmm.. now I am reminded of a car commercial (Porsche?) where the car goes so fast that a bug couldn't get out of the way.

How about those Civic commercials where the guys try to cover up their cars? Protect them from the elements - one guy went to his date's house and use a car cover so the girl asked if they should take her car.

i_luv_toyota

There's this ad from Hyundai that irritates me to no end. It shows a Sonata driving around in traffic, only the other cars (Mostly older Camrys and Accords) are cut in half, rolling only on two front wheels. The caption goes, "The Hyundai Sonata, more car for the money."

I can understand that premise of offering more for the money, but could they at least try to do while not making other cars look like they defy physics laws!

swschrad

physics laws are unfair, and we should all violate them! LOLOLOL,

seriously, by now I think we can all admire a cute animator's trick on computer graphics, and continue our lives while the commercial is on.

tmart

Any comments on the new S40? Starts off as a video game and at the end the real thing. A very good commercial...but also very unVolvo. A shame they didn't do this for the C70.

lemko

...the Honda Element commercial where CGI graphics show the vehicle being constructed of Lego bricks?

swschrad

that vehicle is singularly underwhelming. makes the aztec look good. and the paint combinations are pure 1950s-leftover-enamel at the hunting shack. the element is not on my list.

suvshopper4

But they sure do seem to be selling well. I'm surprised how many I'm seeing lately.

ab348

Yeah. It's amazing what people will buy if it has a Honda badge on it.

porknbeans

Or if people want reliable transportation at an affordable price. I'm not saying the Element is a show stopper, but it is from a brand that has produced a long list of well built reliable autos and it is in a price range that is in the wheel house of most Americans. If you look inside it has the utility of a Swiss army knife, albeit a rather homely one.

BTW, I think that the blocks aren't Legos. There is a fine print for the block name at the beginning. Probably, too many legal issues.

loncray

Yeah, I don't like the looks of the Element at all, but I have a friend who has one and she loves it. It may be ugly (though not Aztek ugly) but it's apparently darned useful!

2003tls

I am pretty sure that the blocks are "Mega Blocks" - they are definitely not Legos. By the way, "Mega Blocks" is currently grabbing some serious market share from Legos so they are the "hot" brand, so to speak.

carguy58

"Yeah its amazing what people will buy if it has a Honda badge on it."

I myself am A Honda fan and I don not like the 03 Accord Sedan or the Element so count me out buying a car solely on its emblem.

carguy58

Chrysler will not use Celine Dion as much in their commericials. Chrysler says they are going in a new direction with their marketing. Well I hope this new direction is better than the old one. I don't know who Chrysler is marketing too most of the time.

swschrad

the dodge boys sorta had their truck buyers scoped out, however. that's a different ad agency.

andre1969

is they found that she really appealed to old people, but nobody else.

I really like that new Mitsubishi commerical played to the tune of "Ballroom blitz", with the Galant and the Camry, where guys in trucks ahead of them are hurling things like bowling balls, barbeque grilles, and Nissan Sentras, while the cars dodge them.

It's actually hysterical seeing the Camry swerve around uneasily like a '70's intermediate with 14" rims and high-profile tires! Does the Camry really get that flighty in emergency maneuvers, I wonder? Or more likely, I wonder if the Camry's driver is just hamming it up some for the camera!

I was disappointed though when I went to the website to see the WHOLE commercial! I was kinda hoping to see the Camry whack one of those Sentras! >:-(

seminole_kev

well it was a previous style Camry I drove, but I did just about plow right off the road at the first decent curve I hit. It was a rental car and about the first 2 miles I hit a good curve and that thing just understeered like crazy. Scared the crap out of me.

bottgers

They always have one person asking another if their Toyota came at such a low price, or if it came with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. I'd like to see a Toyota commercial done exactly the same way except the Toyota owner answers the Kia owner by saying "no it didn't come at that low of a price, but you get what you pay for, and because my Toyota is built much better than your Kia is, it doesn't need a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty." That would be an awesome commercial!

svevar

I think I actually prefer them to Toyota commercials.

PF_Flyer

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Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

bottgers

Personally, I think the whole idea of any of the Korean car companies comparing their vehicles to Hondas and Toyotas is completely ridiculous. I know why they do it though. Which car company wouldn't want the car buying public to think their vehicles are just as good as Hondas and Toyotas? Kia and Hyundai are both guilty of subliminally stating that their vehicles are just as good as the best Japanese vehicles, only they're lower priced and come with better warranties. The fact is they aren't as good as the best Japanese vehicles, and they'd better come with a much longer warranty because you're probably going to need it!

seminole_kev

You sound like the GM and Ford guys when Japanese cars first started to really make their push into the US.

carguy58

Hyundai is showig their stuff. Their quality has really improved. I am high on Hyundai. Kia-they got a ways to go though.

svevar

Last night I saw one of the three commercials from Chrysler's new "Inspiration Comes Standard" campaign. It focused on the redesigned 2005 Town & Country and its "Stow 'n' Go" seats. Very nicely done, in my opinion—a vast improvement over the lame "Drive & Love." What's more, no sight/sound of Celine! I look forward to seeing the other two commercials, one of which is for the Pacifica, the other for the full Chrysler lineup. A handful of Chrysler 300 commercials—one dedicated exclusively to the 300C—to debut later in March.

 -- Mark

bottgers

Maybe, but the difference now is the Korean vehicles actually aren't as good as the Japanese vehicles. Back then, the Japanese vehicles were better than America's, we just didn't know they were.

merc1

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it already, but there is a really good Jaguar commercial out now.

It is the one in which the XJR is being led through San Franciso (I think) by something on a stick. The part in which it leaves the ground and lands every so softly on that air suspension is awesome. The car lands like a lightweight and seemlingly unflustered. Looks good too. Nice work.

M

lemko

...but it starts out as one. A young lady is leaning against a Chevrolet SSR eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. A young guy is complementing the lady's SSR but she takes it as a compliment for the chicken.

suvshopper4

I like the Avis ad, with the guy avoiding the question about how the rental-car XM radio works, as he dances away Mr. Roboto style.

merc1

I've seen the SSR ad! Nice. I did see a red SSR on the expressway, hot looking.

M

i_luv_toyota

"Personally, I think the whole idea of any of the Korean car companies comparing their vehicles to Hondas and Toyotas is completely ridiculous."

I agree 100%. I don't see how a large warranty can be the sole reason to make me buy a cheaper, less than satisfactorily built vehicle like a Korean car. Toyotas and Hondas are better built and have an established reputation of reliability and thus do not need a warranty as large as the Koreans. The sales charts show that people are still willing to outlay more money for a better built car like a Toyota or Honda.

Hyundai also has an ad out now showing Hyundai salespeople saying Hyundais are better just because they are cheaper than "comparably equipped" Toyotas and Hondas. Sounds like desperate measures to me, attacking your competitors verbally.

And Kia really needs to give up those "dare to compare (didn't Mercury use that term a while back, too?)" ads. Being shot in the eyes with paintballs is not funny. What if the guy was adjusting his goggles and got his eyes shot out?! Lost an eye over a minivan argument?! Bad Kia!

I haven't seen Toyota or Honda attack them or even each other in ads. That's probably why both of those companies get the respect (and the sales) they've gotten.

ghulet

Has anyone seen/heard this TV commercial? It advertises that the buyer will receive a free Dell computer with the purchase of any Ford Focus (and 0% or $2000 cash back, to boot). Fine, great, but the commercial uses the tune of 'The Farmer in the Dell' (apt, I know) to an annoying punk rock rift with super irritating fake 'rock guy' vocals. Naturally, I hear it like ten times a day regardless of how much TV I watch.

loncray

If you go to Snopes.com, they've got an article on an Internet ad for the (British) Ford SportsKa. I'd previously seen the one in which a pigeon about to land on the SportsKa is killed by the car's hood opening. Now there's one in which a (computer-generated) cat is decapitated by the SportsKa's sunroof. It's about the sickest commercial I've ever seen in my life. Ford says it was never approved, but it's very much in the same vein as the approved pigeon ad.

vikd

...is pretty clever...

...Liberty sits idling on the Alaskan tundra somewhere. Driver gets out and scoops a handful of snow in to a bowl and sets in on the heated passenger seat to melt. After the snow turns to water, driver gets out and pours the water on the Polar bear's tongue that's stuck to the back of the Liberty...

People like animals in commercials and this was a good combination between "cute factor" and displaying the vehicles abilitites to potentially traverse the Alaskan tundra...

Regards... Vikd

scscars

Ghulet: I've seen that "Focus and a Dell" commercial too, and I've gotten to the point that I hit the mute button on my remote as fast as I can when I hear that off-key opening note. That "rock guy" has to be the worst vocalist to have hit the airwaves in years.

Saw a better commercial earlier today for Kia Spectra. A beat-up, rusted out 1980 Chevy Citation is sitting outside of an old warehouse type building in a downtown area. A man comes out of the building, pulls off a car cover designed to look like the Citation that uncovers a new Kia Spectra. The digital animation that morphs the Citation into a car cover is effective and actually got me to laugh--at a Kia no less.