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

john_324

"In reality of course the most common cargo carried in SUVs is not kayaks or bikes but a 6-pack of Budweiser, a carton of Marlboro Lights and a few boxes of Twinkies."

Hey, if that were true, they'd be half-way on the way to respectable...I'd say it's more likely gourmet take-out, a fat, spoiled kid and bottled water. ;-)

lemko

...the BMW ad where there's a conversation between the Bimmer owner and a tow truck driver, "It just died on me." "C'mon. I'll give you a lift to town." The tow truck driver gets in the back of the BMW abandoning the truck in the rain.

At first, I thought the car was a Pontiac Grand Prix at a distance until they showed the back end of the car as the tow truck driver got in.

i_luv_toyota

Yeah, I saw that one. I almost missed the truck for that hot woman advertising it! Beautiful women and sweet trucks do mix!

I also like the industrial-like logo Toyota got for it's trucks. I have that as my desktop wallpaper as a matter of fact.

tmart

Finally saw the Mustang ad with Steve McQueen that several folks have mentioned previously. Awesome ad. Love the tag line, "If you build it, he will come."

andre1969

lately we've been getting car commercials from Harrisburg and Chambersburg PA dealerships. Odd, considering that I'm about 100 miles away! One of them is really annoying, has these guys rapping, in deep voices "At Easterns Motors...Yo job's yo credit! At Eastens Motors...Yo job's yo credit!" And naturally, it shows people sitting, with big smiles on their faces, in cars that nobody who's credit challenged should even be thinking of, let alone driving!

lemko

...it's one of those inner-city car lots selling used BMWs and Jaguars. Philadelphia is full of such places. Even people who aren't credit-challenged will be if they buy one of those white elephants!

john_324

Easterns is based in the D.C. metro area (where I live) so those commercials are on constantly. I love them for the sheer low-budget look they have + plus the bad rap song + the cars they show are Escalades, Hummers and BMWs... ;-)

A few years back, Easterns was constantly the target of investigations and lawsuits for odometer fraud, bait-and-switch tactics, the usual shady car dealer garbage. Seems like they're trying to go upmarket...

i_luv_toyota

My favorite one being where it first shows a guy with what appears to be a Yugo pickup, and then across the street, he sees a new 2005 Toyota Tacoma being washed by its owner. The guy then decides to go down to the Toyota dealer, meets a Toyota salesman named Dave (who the guy claims "changed his life").

Then comes my favorite part. The guy buys a new dark blue (SWEEEEEEEEET color) Tacoma, and then you see it breaking out of the garage doors "Dukes of Hazard" style, with a hot chick in the passenger seat!

The other ones rule, too (like the "lack of adrenaline" one), but this one is t3h b0mb, y0!

i_luv_toyota

Guys are all milling about a Tundra Double Cab, saying what they would do with the Tundra's power. One says he would get back his tools from his neighbor, and it shows him putting a chain around the garage door handle and hooking it up to his hitch. He then proceeds to rip the "neighbor's" garage door off so he could retrieve his borrowed tools!

Toyota's truck ads are awesome with this new Moving Forward campaign, huh? I think so, at least!

john_324

I too like the new Toyota truck ads. I think years from now, people will remember the ads mostly because of their coinciding with the beginning of the Big 2.5's loss of the pickup market.

I'm not sure about the new Toyota truck emblem though...looks like a mushroom cloud to me (though maybe that's what they were going for?) I would have thought they'd use a Bold but plain "T"...

i_luv_toyota

I think it's supposed to be a bolt, being looked at from an angle in order to resemble a "T." I think it goes along with the whole "industrial" theme Toyota is going for, because the industrial/metal look is supposed to be tough, like Toyota's trucks.

Like I said before, I have this as my wallpaper on my desktop at home, and I thinks it's very cool!

A mushroom cloud, LOL! I guess it does kinda look like one.

john_324

That makes sense...hadn't looked at it that way.

But I definitely like it better than the regular Toyota T thing or whatever it is...I remember when they adopted in the 1990s, and thinking WHAT is that? Of course, it was nothing compared to Mazda's odd-ball lollipop symbol at the time...

i_luv_toyota

I like it better, too. That loopy symbol that Toyota has now has been called many things, from a sombrero to the Pillsbury Doughboy calling a touchdown. I think Toyota said it resembled the "coming together" of several things, with the circles and ovals representing those things.

As for the Mazda symbol of that time, it's been called worse things than a "lollipop," things that could probably get me banned from this forum, so I'll stop here, LOL...

highender

like the VW fahrvenughen (sp?) commercials...and am glad they got rid of it....

I like the cayenne commercials ....

i_luv_toyota

Everyone's most hated ad campaign is back. The one I saw showed a women watching a bunch of red ribbons going down a conveyor (sp) belt, when all of a sudden, the "car-size" ribbons come down the belt.

And then you hear the snooty voiceover that we all know and don't love...

lemko

...with a RX330 next to a Christmas tree with the big red ribbon on it.

andre1969

diamond commercial spoofs that I saw circulating awhile back. One of them had a pair of pretty diamond earrings and the caption below read "dangle these in front of her on the treadmill, and maybe she'll jog herself back down to her college weight"

Some of the others weren't quite as quotable, at least not in the type of environment that Edmund's wants to keep. Anyway, I could see them being recycled with an automotive slant...

highender

actually, andy's right.....at least in our group of friends....

we would oogle and salivate thru the dealership window when passing by it after jr high let out.....and some of us ended up with a Porsche about 10 or 15 or 20 years later.....

and some of us just bought the license plate frame that says "my other car is a Porsche" and placed it on our Hondas.... ;-)

john_324

I don't know what it is about it, but I love that new Jeep Liberty ad that shows a range of mountains in the distance, then a volcano or something erupts/explodes. A few seconds later, rocks shower down on the foreground, followed up a blackened Liberty that hits the ground with a thump. After a second, the wipers turn on, and it drives back toward the mountains.

Great imagery and makes its point without a word!

i_luv_toyota

I've seen that ad a few times, but not as much as the ones featuring the new Grand Cherokee racing a BMW and an Audi TT.

I'm a fan of any commercial that blows a car out of a volcano, LOL!

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ghulet

If that damn Buick LaCrosse commercial (the one with Aerosmith's 'Dream On' BLARING) scares me out of a cat nap on my couch one more time.....it is literally like twice as loud as any other commercial. Otherwise, a stylish commercial for a fairly ho-hum car. The other LaCrosse commercial I've seen shows two cars racing around on a highway, combined with footage of a kid and dad playing with two slot cars racing around an AFX-type track.

Is it just me, or can nobody else picture anyone 'dreaming' of, nor racing, a big, bulbous Buick sedan? Talk about missing the point!

anythngbutgm

"Lacrosse, the car you've always dreamed about"

The only ones who are dreaming are the guys at Buick who believe the Lacrosse is a Sport sedan.

john_324

Yeah, it seems an odd sell from Buick.

I think Buick is going at this backwards...if it wants people to think of Buick as a company that can make sporty cars, it'll have to build the hard-core, no compromises sportscar FIRST (the Wildcat perhaps?) to show it can do it, and then offer the more real-world-friendly sports sedans that the ads can claim are based on it.

It doesn't seem likely the gradual approach ala the Lacrosse will work, at least not with anyone who was alive in the 1980s or 1990s...

lemko

The LaCrosse is a really nice car. It looks much nicer in person than it does in pictures.

Speaking of annoying commercials. The Lexus "December to Remember" commercials are back again this year. I think these commercials are in very bad taste considering how many people are out of work or struggling at low-paying jobs. This is the toughest time of year for these unfortunate folks and they have to see a bunch of materialistic yuppies getting expensive cars for Xmas gifts on television. This is the stuff revolutions are made of!

anythngbutgm

I just think it is too difficult a sell to convince buyers that the Lacrosse has even an ounce of sporting flair too it. Sorry, Buick does not possess the youthful image they so proudly portray in their commercial, no way. The ideal commercial would be parking this car infront of a Piggly Wiggly and touting how many bags of groceries you can fit in the trunk. At least that would be convincing.

lemko

...I wouldn't call the LaCrosse a sport sedan by any measure. However, it is a really nice replacement for the dull Century and a good alternative to other mid-price sedans.

andre1969

on Buick yet, though. It's going to take them awhile to shake their old fogey image, but it can be done. And it has been done in the past. For example, once upon a time, Pontiac was considered an old man's car. But all that changed for 1957, with bold new marketing, the fuel-injected Bonneville halo car, flashier styling, and a commitment to performance.

And look at Cadillac. Their turnaround in the past few years has been nothing short of miraculous.

stickguy

the lexus ads are even dumber this year than last. Especially the one where there is an RX in the living room, and the "wife" comments on the big bow. At least there is a cute touch with showing the little kid looking up the chimmeny, than at the truck.

Jaguar has a similar commercial out (car in the driveway with a bow on it).

Of course, I would be happy as a clam if someone did that to me!

lemko

...really have an effect. Do Lexus sales spike in the middle of December? It's a great time to buy a car. I've always figured December 26th was the ultimate day to buy a car. Everybody else is broke from the holidays as is the salesman from buying gifts for his family.

seminole_kev

..dropped that damned annoying Christmas one with the teenaged (or thereabouts) daughter getting a new Lexus (IS 300 if I remember right). Errrrrrrrrrrrr. Hated that commercial.

1racefan

My wife would be happy for about 2 minutes if I suprised her with a new Lexus for Christmas - Then she'd kick my butt for spending the $ without her knowing!!!

lemko

...first of all because it wasn't her money and the fact that I couldn't pry her out of the LS430 at the Philly Auto Show as a line backed-up around the car.

jaserb

the one that has the confused looking guy trying to figure out the "Lexus Giant Bow Kit" got a chuckle out of me. I can barely wrap a shoe box and can only imagine how badly I'd screw up tying a 4' wide ribbon.

-Jason

svevar

anythngbutgm:
Compared to a mundane and uninspiring Camry, I'd call the 3.6L Buick LaCrosse "sporty." I think Buick could have done a lot more with the car's styling, but I still find it elegant and attractive, a far cry from, say, the Camry's bland, clunky, mis-proportioned lines. You're right, Buick doesn't have a youthful image, but these commercials were designed to change that. You've got to start somewhere!

lemko:
While I unequivocally agree that the Lexus ads are annoying, I don't really see how they are in bad taste (at least not for the reasons you cite). By your thinking, wouldn't that make holiday-themed jewelry commercials just as tasteless? What about commercials for high-end electronics?

stickguy:
Although the Jaguar ads are in the same vein as the Lexus commercials, for some reason they don't irritate me nearly as much. I think the gift recipients' surprise and gratitude seem more sincere and convincing in the Jaguar spots. Plus, Jaguars are so much classier than Lexuses!

About the RX330 under the tree: the wife wants to know where the bow came from, but what about getting that damned car into the living room?

 -- Mark

scscars

As for that bow-wrapped Lexus RX330 in the living room, I think there might have been some assembly required. ;>)

anythngbutgm

"Compared to a mundane and uninspiring Camry, I'd call the 3.6L Buick LaCrosse "sporty."

That's not really saying much... I could say the same about a Crown Victoria because it's sporting a 224hp V8, but like a Lacrosse, there's alot more to "sporty" than engine size. And last time I checked, the Camry's mission was not to be a sporting machine.

And that 3.6 is reserved for the high-end CXS trim which stickers at what 32k? That's TL/G35/Maxima territory. The Freeway/racetrack commercial is a laughable farse if Buick thinks the Lacrosse will gain the same respect.

"Buick could have done a lot more with the car's styling, but I still find it elegant and attractive, a far cry from, say, the Camry's bland, clunky, mis-proportioned lines."

Purely subjective. My opinion? The Lacrosse is a blatant ripoff of a Jag Stype/Lexus ES in the front and MB E-class in the rear. THe overhangs on both ends are huge and the greenhouse reminds me of the Catfish Taurus redesign of 96'. The Camry is a non-offensive, clean design IMO, not a break-thru by any means, but not bad either. Once again, purely subjective.

"You're right, Buick doesn't have a youthful image, but these commercials were designed to change that. You've got to start somewhere!"

Buicks are barges, cushy cruisers, not sport sedans. They have a bore set of buyers, they would be smart to stick to that. Trying to cater to a younger crowd and alienaing the core buyer is why Oldsmobile no longer exists.

svevar

"That's not really saying much... I could say the same about a Crown Victoria because it's sporting a 224hp V8, but like a Lacrosse, there's alot more to 'sporty' than engine size. And last time I checked, the Camry's mission was not to be a sporting machine.

And that 3.6 is reserved for the high-end CXS trim which stickers at what 32k? That's TL/G35/Maxima territory. The Freeway/racetrack commercial is a laughable farce if Buick thinks the Lacrosse will gain the same respect."

I agree, the Camry's mission isn't to be a sporting machine, but it needn't offer a complete disconnect from the driving experience, either. The November issue of Motor Trend seems to indicate that the LaCrosse's ride and handling compare favorably with that of the Lexus ES330, offering "Buick ride with more Euro control." The Lexus ES330 is far from sporty (despite its equally farcical commercials depicting high performance), but it is the vehicle Bob Lutz has called GM's benchmark in designing the LaCrosse. And on that front, Buick has succeeded in building a viable ES330 alternative for thousands less (the 3.6L-equipped CXS starts at $28,995). My point is, marketers stretch the sporting capabilities of just about any family sedan, so I don't find Buick's ads particularly offensive, especially given that the LaCrosse does outperform some competitors like the Camry, Avalon, Kia Amanti, Grand Marquis, and Crown Victoria you mentioned. I don't think Buick has targeted the TL, G35, or Maxima, but rather the ES330, now-defunct I35, Avalon, and high-end Camry.

"Buicks are barges, cushy cruisers, not sport sedans. They have a bore set of buyers, they would be smart to stick to that. Trying to cater to a younger crowd and alienating the core buyer is why Oldsmobile no longer exists."

That has traditionally been Buick's role in the marketplace, but with their average buyer's age at 69 years (!), GM will have to do something to attract younger buyers before the current customer base dies off. This requires that Buick inject some life into its vehicles. By following the Lexus model—that is, retaining comfort and quiet, but avoiding the land-barge stigma—Buick will attract new blood to the brand, while simultaneously keeping the current core buyer satisfied.

From your username, I can tell you're no fan of GM. Aside from the revitalized Cadillac line-up, I don't see many appealing products either. But I think the LaCrosse and its marketing constitute a step in the right direction, and I wish Buick success in its efforts.

 -- Mark

For your consideration, two Lexus ES330 ads ("Highway" and "Journey") depicting the vehicle's supposed performance abilities:

http://www.lexus.com/models/es/gallery_exterior_videos.html

i_luv_toyota

I see Nissan still trying to peddle 2004 Maximas and Muranos to a badly sung version of Sanata's Oye Como Va. It shows the guy in a Maxima singing along with the song, and a woman doing the same in her Murano. They both catch each other a a stoplight and act like if they got caught picking their nose (ala Seinfeld "It WASN'T a PICK!!"), then drive through a lit tunnel together simultaneously, and then of course the typical Nissan year end sales rhetoric.

Another one for the Titan goes "Remember the Titan," a sorry play on the movie with a similar title, to remember who is supposedly the class leader in full size trucks.

I don't know if these are NYC area local or not, they both have the Nissan_shift (put word/phrase here) at the end like the national ads do...

lemko

...it could've been worse. Nissan could've used music from "Titanic."

I finally got to see the Buick LaCrosse commercial with the Aerosmith tune "Dream On." I don't think it's that bad. After all, original Aerosmith fans, as well as Aerosmith themselves, are approaching the age of Buick's demographic. Twenty years ago they might've used Frank Sinatra's music in a television commercial. Who knows, someday 20 or 30 years from now they'll use Limp Bizkit or Eminem in a Buick ad.

chicagodrive1

Haven't seen one lately, but I always get the seem to remember a Maxima/Altima/Xterra speeding through the dessert, then attempting to do a donut....how much do they pay advertising consultants to come up with the same idea?

Here's an idea: to demonstrate the incredible stopping power of the new Sentra, they should show some strung-out Gen-Y'r in a Sentra tailgating a cargo van..the van does a "brake check" and the Sentra responds quickly without having to file an insurance claim...commerial ends with Gen-Y'r flipping off the driver of the van and the tagline: "shift --- roadrage"

gambit293

The January issue of C&D has a listing of 10-Best car commercials. IMO, they mostly suck.

10. Change is Good (Chrysler - 2001) - I never saw this one. Some grunge girl and a PT Cruiser?

9. Different - (Dodge - 2000) - I don't recall these ads either. Birds, ants, fishhooks.

8. Inspiration - (Toyota 2003) - The one with the kids in the design facility. Personally I despise cutesy commercials

7. Autobahn Tester - (Porsche 1994) - I don't remember this one.

6. Art Gallery - (Honda 1991) - Accord on the wall. This ad was okay and kind of clever.

5. Square - VW 2002 - Actually I do like this Beetle commercial.

4. Snow Covered - Jeep 1994 - The Jeep moves under snow ala Bugs Bunny. I seem to recall this, though it don't remember being impressed or moved.

3.Falling in Love Again - MB 1997 - I don't care for commercials that try to appeal to nostalgia. Maybe I'm too young to appreciate this.

1. Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet - Chevy 1974 - This aired before I was born but it sounds like the kind of commercial I would hate.

1. The Hire - BMW 2001 - Internet - I've seen one or two of these. I don't see what the big deal is. I can't get by the fact that they are commercial shorts posing as credible art. Using reputable directors doesn't change anything.

I wish they included some funny commercials, such as the Trunk-Monkey spots. Also I wonder why they left out Honda's chain-reaction commercial.

I'm probably the wrong person to critique this article because generally I detest 95% of all commercials.

i_luv_toyota

"...it could've been worse. Nissan could've used music from "Titanic."

That would be appropriate for the Armada...

:-)

andys120

now it's Infiniti wrapping it's cars in bows. Cripes, has anyone in TH ever given someone a car for Christmas? Or gotten one?

ajvdh

I got a Mercedes 300SL and a '56 Chevy for Xmas. Of course it the Benz was 2-1/2" long, and while the Chevy was a bit larger I had to put it together myself with Testor's glue.

fintail

I loved those MB commercials from several years ago. Two of the spots show fintails.

john_324

Best recent MB commercial IMO is the one where they go "by the numbers", showing people and their MBs...you know "Fred and Judy...300k miles" or "the Danish rescue squad, 500 rescues last year".

What that really makes the commercial though is "Sir Stirling Moss...one unbroken record"...I love that part.

PF_Flyer

Like a song that gets stuck in your head, something made an OLD TV ad pop into my head and I can't get it out. Anybody besides me remember the ad for the Dodge Dart (might have been the Plymouth Duster) where the guy's sweet old lady mother is talking about his new car, butchering all the automotive terminology and mentions how it has "torsion barbers for the superspension" ???

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speterson1

I'll wager the reason that "Cog" (the name for the Honda chain-reaction commercial) didn't make the list was because it never aired on US television, only British. That would have easily earned first place in my book - that's about the coolest commercial I've ever seen, period!

carguy58

I thought it was a nice commercial. They had a nice elegant woman in the commercial showing the car off a little bit. It had class and It wasn't an in your face ad. Unfortunately I am not buying any Buick's anytime soon.