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

kenjabi · September 2002

Boy do I feel dumb. I've seen that VW ad you mentioned 3 times, and I never even noticed they were sunburned! Let me tell you, if you don't notice that, the ad makes absolutely no sense. Thanks for shedding that light on me, it'll make much more sense next time I see it! LOL

mliong · September 2002

LOL same here! The commerical seemed too washed out for me to see the sunburns!

1wiseguy · September 2002

Then there's the one that boasts how Canadians picked their dream cars in a recent survey and 5 of the top ten were Chryslers. Seriously, people dream of German cars and other luxury offerings. Do they think we're stupid???

Of course, dreams do include nightmares, so maybe they're onto something!!!

verozahl · September 2002

Saw the E-Class ad twice today on CNN. Hilarious! Perfect for encouraging more stupid Benz-owner behavior. Ever want to take your Benz to play soccer?? ROTFLMAO! But that music... that's not "Benz" music...!

petra02 · September 2002

Why would they even need them? Aren't they getting enough exposure? I mean, how many millions of people have seen "Men In Black II"...

kenjabi · September 2002

I saw a couple of new Nissan ads, or at least partially saw them. They have a new campaign centered around the word "Shift". From what I remember from the ads, they show a bunch of still pictures of people and Nissan vehicles. At the end of the commercials they show the Nissan logo, the word Shift_ and then another word (eg, passion, power, desire, etc.). It changes the word slowly, but quickly accelerates the change until it's like 15 words/sec.

In one commercial, I remember a picture of a cop, then a black screen with text that says "Let's be careful out there", or something like that. Then it shows a picture of the 350Z.

navigator3740 · September 2002

It never inspired me to buy the car, but IMO, Volkswagen has always had the best ad campaigns. When I was little, it was, "Everybody is getting the bug". They've never had a bad ad, and are miles ahead of anybody else. Honda comes close.

I like Bill Ford's ads, but I like Bill's cars too, so that probably helps. I enjoy the History lesson.

Worst ads, IMO, Toyota. You can count on them to be annoying. But clearly, they're not targeting me anyway, and it's working. If I were to buy a Toyota, it would be for the product, not for the image or ad.

mliong · September 2002

What was that about with the Dogs? I never understood it!

swschrad · September 2002

never saw an odyssey commercial about dogs.

you aren't thinking about the Subaru Outback commercial, are you? the one where "dogs aren't much use, if you ask me," after pulling all the gear out of the Outback, putting it onto the dogsled also in the Outback, and letting the dogs that were also caged in the Outback back into the back of the vehicle. and hooking up the dogsled to the bumper, and off we go?

that was cute.

suvshopper4 · September 2002

Here's a vote pro Robert Wuhl.

Okay, so that makes twice I've voted for him here.
I wasn't certain that I didn't have a hanging chad the first time.

Kirstie_H · September 2002

... and how can he tell us to buy his SUVs, when he's been so anti-SUV? Credibility, anyone?

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

maltb · September 2002

I've never been a big fan of Ford but I think the commercials themselves are wonderful. They have a very candid feel with a guy whose last name is on every product it sells. Sheer brilliance, whether or not you like the product.

maltb · September 2002

I've seen a Jetta commercial a few times in the last 2 weeks that just baffles me. A guy at a gas station mini-mart grabs some road munchies and heads back out to a Jetta with another guy pumping gas. They gaze at each other, then the munchies and the guy who pumped the gas assumes the driver seat. What did I miss here? Was it because the gas costs more than the munchies? Pretty weak, I think.

Somebody show me the light on this one.

alfox · September 2002

Checkout their sunburns next time. Each is burnt on half his face from all the driving in the same seat. When they look at each other they realize it's time to switch seats.

Pretty subtle.

maltb · September 2002

I wasn't sure if that's what was being talked about a few posts up. Even knowing that, I'll have to see the commercial again as I don't recall that detail.

I like to think that I am a fairly astute person, so I can't imagine that VW is having much success with this commercial.

speterson1 · September 2002

You guys must have the color or contrast turned down on your TVs, the first time I saw that ad I noticed what a pair of lobsters (or half-lobsters, as the case may be) they were. However, to nitpick, I have to dock VW a point or two on realism, since I've never seen anyone get a perfectly vertical sunburn from driving. On long trips my arm gets fried from having it out the window but that's about all.

At any rate, I do understand it's exaggerated to get the point across. Still a good ad, would be a great ad for about any other maker but since it's VW my expectations are higher.

maltb · September 2002

That could very well be the case! My wife was telling me to turn the color up on the TV this weekend...lol.

jaserb · September 2002

Maybe you need to play with the contrast on your TV. The sunburn is pretty obvious.
Re: Lexus commercials - they're either really good or really bad. The GS430(?) commercial where the guy has to get out of the car at a stop light, put hands on his knees and catch his breath was good. So was the "Shoo-fly pie" ad for the LS.
The IS300 had a series of commercials that were just awful - basically showing women falling all over this guy after he pulls up in his IS. "The Lexus IS300. The car for self absorbed pricks who think they're God's gift to women." Pretty revolting. The ads for the ES300 with the little European looking kid were stupid (hey, didn't he work for Mazda?) "They say the car, it has powers magical. In this car, I would like to ride". Wha? If they're going to make him speak ridiculous broken english at least give him a foreign accent. That one and the "Mambo #5" commercials make me want to punch the responsible party in the head. Thank goodness for the mute button.

-Jason

jaserb · September 2002

We like that commercial because it looks just like our car - same color and everything. It's certainly better than the one where the red carpet rolls across the landscape. I guess it's just trying to underscore the point that no, this is not an off-road vehicle...

-Jason

iluvmysephia1 · September 2002

car commercial I've seen in ages. The one with the young people(hipsters)in the Mitsubishi's cruising on the expressway when all of a sudden the brunette in the passenger seat decides she can't wait to get to the dancehall to begin dancing. Ugghhh! Gotta be trying to reach the 16-21 y/olds with this one. How spine-tingingly *ANNOYING*!!!!! She can't seem to stop as the Mitsu spirits have here stretching and reaching to and fro in absolute annoyance. Not gonna do it Mitsubishi...AAMOF you may have lost customers by airing that one!

swschrad · September 2002

I don't find those motions, more symbolic of a bad night in the emergency room than anything else, an excellent recommendation for the -ish. no idea even what model they were trying to sell in that ad.

iluvmysephia1 · September 2002

that was to simply advertise their '0' down, '0' payments until 2003 and '0'% interest in ALL Mitsubishi models. Granted, the Eclipse is kinda cool looking and do I ever see a LOT of em on Washington state streets. Lancer, Diamante, Montero, etc. also are being offered at those rates. But that commercial...UUGGHHH! Right up there in annoyance with Toyota commercials of ANY time period for any model of Toyota.

ab348 · September 2002

I finally saw the ad you guys are talking about here this past weekend. Like maltb, I didn't get it. In fact, it wasn't until the commercial was over that I realized this was the ad you guys are talking about. I never did notice the sunburns. I think if the effect is that subtle that so many people miss it, it can't be a very effective ad. VW should pull it and make the effect more obvious.

maltb · September 2002

glad to know I'm not the only one. Of course, I haven't seen the add since my "enlightening".

petra02 · September 2002

Are you talking about the "One Week" commercial, or the other one, "get up, get up, get your body in motion..."?

I usually refer to Mitsubishi commercials by their songs. In this way, they're pretty easy to identify. A lot of people seem to agree with me, too, because Mitsubishi walked away with a couple of awards for best car commercials. Those who think these songs suck may not agree, but, A: It's pretty obvious who they're aimed at, so if you're out of the age group, what are you missing? B: Like I said, everyone knows these songs and their corresponding commercials. In fact, @ a concert I saw on TV, B.N.L called "One Week" the "Japanese Car Song". Like it or not, the Mitsubishi messages are spreading.

BTW, Nissan was one the other major breadwinner at the best car commercial awards, with 3-4 awards. I like the Nissan ones better than Mitsu's, too. Some of their commercials have had some really great songs, like "Come Together". At any rate, these were the awards for last year, so I'm waiting to see what ads take the cake for 2002. I fully expect Cadillac to walk away with an award for their commercials featuring Led Zepplin.

odie6l · September 2002

Saw a neat commerical for a that I thought was for a car. It started by showing a close up of the wheel and pulling back to show the car, at the same time it has a voice over saying things about the top speed and 0-60 times. Then just as the camera pulls all the way back, a 12-15 yr old boy walks up and picks up the car. Turns out to be a commerical for a video game called Re-Volt. Made me go right out and buy the game..lol and boy is it every addictive.

Here's a link so you can see it too.

http://www.re-volt.com/images/quicktimes/revoltcomm.html

Odie

swschrad · September 2002

that one may have even been used, as I remember, in two different ads over the past year or year and a half. that kind of caught me when the latest one came along in june or july, with all different tape of B N L in one car singing and another in which the two girls broke up at the chorus, unable to sing along any more. the first ad had none of that, it was just couples zipping along while the music puttered along.

the one in discussion is the double-date mits in which the girl riding shotgun is doing a full interpretive dance in the seat, along with all the hip-hop-py jerks on the beat.

looked like flops-like-fish hour outside ER treatment room three some weekend night, so I guess I'm getting too old.

mliong · September 2002

Weren't quite dogs, just people with Dog heads.

andre1969 · September 2002

...and realize why I missed it at first. The way those two guys were eyeing each other up and down (here at work in sensitivity training they called it "elevator eyes"), I guess I just saw the gay connotations and the sunburn aspect just whizzed right on by me!

I guess maybe I looked a little too deep into that one! :-P

andys120 · September 2002

GM has resurrected the ghost of it's great styling guru, Harley Earl and features him (actually an actor portraying him)in a new Buick
commercial).

WTF? what's Harley Earl the designer of the Buick "Y-Job" and the original '53 'Vette got to do with the insipid styling of today's Buicks.

Then they pop Tiger Woods right into the middle of the thing.

From the irrelevant to the ridiculous in 30 seconds flat. Way to go Buick!

porknbeans · September 2002

Andy - I think it's kind of sad when somebody needs to explain an advertisement.

http://thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5284

I haven't seen the commercial yet, but now I'm not so sure I do.

suvshopper4 · September 2002

The AMC Javelin commercials of the late 1960s were classic.

One in particular had a thirty-something, straight-looking family man driving the Javelin, a 2-door coupe with nice styling but otherwise absolutely nothing really sporty about it. At one stop light, a bunch of young, hot females in a convertible call out to him, "Hey, Javelin!" and he just looks surprised and sheepish. Then at another stop light some young guy in a hot car tries to get the Javelin guy to race him. JG points to the seat alongside himself (out of view) and says, "I've got a bowl of goldfish on the seat" in order to get out of racing the young dude.
Memorable and funny ads.

suvshopper4 · September 2002

I see nothing wrong with using a legendary (among enthusiasts) long-gone car designer in an ad, especially when you are trying to promote an automobile with a lot of tradition.

It's good that some more people will learn who Earl was. Hey, he designed the Corvette, an American icon. Usually, designers do not get the credit they deserve.

Besides, ghost stories sell big-time.

Go Buick.

lemko · September 2002

...ought to make a few commercials resurrecting the legendary Virgil Exner! Maybe Lincoln could use Elwood Engel.

petra02 · September 2002

Anyone remember the commercial Mercedes had a few years ago? It showed clips of cars from Mercedes' past, like early SL's, old races, concept cars, etc., before cutting to a scene of the most modern Mercedes products. All throughout, the song, "Praise you" [Fatboy slim] was played. I loved that commercial. The clips, and, especially, the appropriate choice of song made it [gasp] an ad that I didn't mind seeing.

Anyone else remember that?

speterson1 · September 2002

I have been among the many others on this topic singing the praises of VW's very creative and entertaining ads. It was with some surprise that I noticed they've finally released an ad that doesn't make me laugh or smile. The latest one I'm talking about is the one where the young couple is racing to their new apartment, tending to someone ill in the back seat, and it turns out to be their pet fish in an aquarium. Oh well, I guess it's pretty tough to bat 1.000. They can chuck that one in my opinion.

crkeehn · September 2002

lauding the amount of space available. It's nice to see Chrysler doing more than their generic ads and is well overdue.

loncray · September 2002

I enjoy the new PT Cruiser ad that's running around here - pretty girl with many outfits/voices/haircuts showing us how versatile the thing is - the finale is "Change is good, right?" with the girl dressed punkishly - and bald.

PF_Flyer · September 2002

I can't quote the whole thing, but here's the flavor of a Ford pickup ad that's running on the AM around here...

The premise is that while a Silverado owner is trying to launch his boat at the lake, the boat and trailer pull the Silverado right into the lake. And the Ford owner, of course, helps out by pulling the whole rig out of the water. At one point they refer to the "Silverado submarine", but then comes the punch line. The Silverado owner says,

"Sunk pretty fast, didn't it?"

To which the Ford owner replies,

"Like a rock"

DISCLAIMER: I have NO dog in this fight. This is NOT a shot at Silverado or an attempt to claim Fords could actually do things like this. It's just a funny ad! (Have to say things like this being host of the Pickups board too...LOL.. the survival instinct is strong!)

PF Flyer
Host
Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

crkeehn · September 2002

I haven't seen that one. Mine shows two young men visiting their Electronic Superstore and picking up a small television set. They flip the rear seats forward to carry it and the box looks lost in the car. They take it back and exchange it for a big screen television which fits nicely in the car, however it's too big to fit in the elevator when they get to their apartment. They end up watching the TV from the tailgate.

I'll have to watch for your ad. It's nice to see Chrysler finally advertising the PT.

maltb · September 2002

PF: While I haven't seen/heard that commercial someone referenced it above as stupid. I guess it all depends on one's level of objectivity.

Carl: That is a good ad but I almost missed the point after turning away for a second.

jaserb · September 2002

Funny how you never see Cruiser ads with the 50+ year olds who are the only ones you ever see driving them. We actually tried to buy one when they first came out and gave up after $2000+ markups. Now we're glad we didn't get one, since around here they've become the official vehicle of boomers who are trying way to hard to look cool (my aunt among them).

-Jason

roma007 · October 2002

Did anyone see the Nissan Maxima commercial where it speeds through a desert road? The car is originally black in color, but its paint gradually flies off the car as it speeds through, and eventually the car is white.

Kind of a paradoxical meaning here:

1. Maximas are really fast
2. The paint jobs on these cars is bad, so don't drive so fast.

petra02 · October 2002

...To seeing the much-despised Buick commercial, and I totally agree: It bites. I think that if Earl was capable of seeing the current Buick line, he'd say, "What the hell happened?!?!" And the addition of tiger Woods seemed far too much like a gimmick. Seeing as how Earl is appearing in this commercial posthumously, I'm sure this will do nothing to dispel the belief that Buick's are for geezers.

I haven't seen the Maxima commercial you refer to , roma007, but I liked the, "Cars Like It: 0" Campaign back in 2000, when the Maxima was redesigned. They're starting to reintroduce that campaign, too. Have you seen the "UFO" one yet? It's pretty good.

eharri3 · October 2002

Im a truck guy so I pay more attention to pickup commercials.

First was for Dodge Ram with new 5.7 liter hemi. A 4 door Ram pulls up to a light towing a modified 70 or 71 Challenger and two kids in a newr sports car pull up next to him. They look over and are like "Dude, is that a hemi? we gotta race! Dodge truck guy is like "OK! SURE!" Light turns green and he takes off in a cloud of tire smoke with the trailer still in tow before they even know what happens and gets to the next light. They catch up to him and he looks over and is like "Oh, wait... did you mean the Challenger? That has a hemi too."

An even funnier one for the redesigned Silverado. Farm guy tows a trailer next to the barn, the starts to back it into the parking spot using the new 4 wheel steering feature. He's maneuvering the whole rig as easily as if he was in a compact car, finishes up, looks over, and a cow is so amazed at how easily he backed the trailer in that its jaw dropped open and its cud fell out of its mouth.

andys120 · October 2002

It shows some kids (18/20-something)in a new Civic riding thru a city they are joined by a formation of "slammed" Civics. No burnouts or racing around just a big formation parade.

I guess it's Honda's homage to the F&F crowd that made their Civic seem "cool".

pjyoung · October 2002

I suppose that these "screamer" ads must be done by a national agency. Going into work the other day, I was listening to the ads that somehow feel a loud "CLANK" is needed to emphasize the great deals. So I listen to ANY "CLANK" TRADE "CLANK" GOES "CLANK". I live in Kansas, outside of Kansas City. The three main counties in this area are Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte". Wyandotte is pronounced "Why-an-dot", but the announcer pronounced it "Won-dot". This struck me as odd, since the dealership the ad was for was in a city named Olathe - which is pronounced O-lay-tha. The announcer got the city right, but totally blew the county name. Didn't matter for me though, as dealers who use those kinds of ads will NEVER "CLANK" SEE "CLANK" ME "CLANK".

andys120 · October 2002

although sometimes locally. Obviously not when you get mis- pronunciations like that. For a name like Wyandotte they should think to ask. Nothing sounds more irritating to people than a mispronunciation of that kind and idiomatic pronunciations exist in nearly every corner of America.

Occasionally we have to ask an agency to correct the pronunciation CON-kord (it should be con-KERD or even con-KID) referring to New Hampshire's capital city (the town in Mass where our Revolution begin has the same pronunciation).

dinu01 · October 2002

a part of Toronto is called Etobicoke, but pronounced "etobiko".

Dinu

swschrad · October 2002

never been in a screamer's dealership, and never will. period. end of story. no arguments. ever.

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

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