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

kyfdx · March 2006

Yeah.. I liked that one.. uh oh

ateixeira · March 2006

That was funny and effective. They put normal college kids (young demographic) in the car in an every day situation, and got the point across about how practical the hatchback was.

VW won all kinds of awards for those ads. They increased sales at a time when the products were stale, too.

-juice

odie6l · March 2006

the UPS "Race The Truck" ads are starting to get funnier.

Odie

fintail · March 2006

"it's really hard to enjoy the sound of the engine with all that yackin'"

weski · March 2006

And that is why my daughter bought a Fusion rather than a Jetta. VW ads are anti-female. If that's their objective, it's working!

john_324 · March 2006

I don't think it's that bad...I just think it's a swing of the pendulum back from recent days where VW's entire product line were seen as "chick cars".

fintail · March 2006

Your daughter bought one caer over the other based on a relatively new commercial?

And chick cars indeed...now that VW has a more credible GTI, they need to target the market who will buy them. I doubt you'll see a 'fast' themed Jetta, Passat or Beetle ad...

PF_Flyer · March 2006

These "Ve vill depimp your r-r-r-ride" commercials are FUNNY. We were at our favorite pizza place last night and the one where they have some kind of catapult that thrashes the tricked out car around was one and it had everyone who was watching laughing.
That's the second time I've seen an ad capture people's attention in public like that. The other one was the jeans commercial (Levis I think) where a guy is on a table in the ER, assorted heart rate beeps, etc, with doctors and nurses all around when he "crashes" and they say "We're losing him!". Out come the paddles, ZAP, he heart beat startys again and it segways into "Tainted Love" with everyone singing. This was at a sportsbar restaurant with 4 big screens where you have a control at your table to choose which screen to listen to. The whole place started getting quieter and quieter as everyone switched over to the screen with the commercial. It was an amazing thing to see.

i_luv_toyota · March 2006

I find those "unpimp your ride" ads funny, too.

I love it when at the end the guy gives the "VW" hand signs and says "Vee Daaaahhb."

Gets a chuckle out of me every time.

rockylee · March 2006

He should get an Oscar for his promotion on how safe Ford Vehicles are at protecting kids in vehicle accidents.

Yeah I really want the mexican made "fusion" protecting my 2 yr. old and 7 month old. :surprise:

Rocky

fintail · March 2006

There's an ad for some local dealer on the radio right now...called "Suzuki Town"...and it has a song that mimics "Funkytown"...it's horrible.

i_luv_toyota · March 2006

You think that's bad, you should see an ad here in Connecticut for a local Hyundai dealer.

It goes "KEY-KEY-KEY-KEY-KEY Hyundai-Hyundai-Hyundai" and repeats it several times during the ad with the most annoying instrumental pieces I have ever heard overlaying the catch phrase listed above.

This dealer has been doing this for several years (more than 10 AFAIK), so I'm quite surprised this place is still in business with such annoying and grating "mute/off button special" commercials.

anythngbutgm · March 2006

For a while there was an absolutely annoying Toyo add that went something like "Burry up, dont you wait, you've waited all year long..." It sounded like some cheesy lounge singer rock song you'd hear in the mid 80's. Like a David Hasselhoff tune or something out of an 80's sitcom.

Now, they have a goofy one with cars and trucks driving around with a flashing sign over them. The sign looks like it was ripped off a slum motel in the middle of nowhere. At least there is no music...

i_luv_toyota · March 2006

I hate those ads. Who thought that putting a floating sign over a car was a good idea? If I had a sign floating over my Avalon, I'd look for a low bridge or a parking garage to rid myself of it!

When it comes down to it, I think Toyota/Lexus has the dumbest car ads on TV (and I say this as a Toyota fan, too!).

anythngbutgm · March 2006

Great cars, poor advertising... At least i don't have to live with the commercials for as long as I own the cars!

tom1sharon2 · March 2006

A '58 Dodge being shot out of a cannon (and you thought Ford's tough truck commercials were hokey)or being put through the paces by the CHP.
And speaking of chick cars, should a single girl buy a '66 mustang?

If you like old car commercials check out this site.

http://www.tvparty.com/vaultcomm.html

I used to like those AMC commercials. Does anyone remember "Yes dad, it IS a great car ....I just made it better."

fintail · March 2006

Another from the dumb car ad category, from the local "only" dealer. This week's pick is an 03 Camry with "only" 71K miles. Wow!

ateixeira · March 2006

Sheesh, was it used as a taxi cab? That's crazy miles for the age of the car.

-juice

fintail · March 2006

Either that or a rental that somehow was in use for 3 years. "Only"...every car in his ad is "only". Others must be laughing too.

anythngbutgm · April 2006

What's up with the new Dodge Caliber commercial (With the fairy)? The sound effects sound like they were grabbed from the Grand Cherokee SRT commercial from not too long ago.

:confuse: Just a wee bit of misrepresentation there...

i_luv_toyota · April 2006

I was just about to post about this. I do think the commercial is rather odd in the fact that it employs a fairy to get the message across.

I think that message has something to do with what car the Caliber is replacing, the Dodge Neon. I think Dodge might be trying to say that the Caliber is not trying to be "cutesy," unlike the Neon, which used the "Hi!" slogan for it's intro back in 1995.

At least that's my take on it, lol.

shiphro · April 2006

I agree i_luv. I think that the marketing for the Caliber is designed to be the opposite of the Neon.

kyfdx · April 2006

One thing about the commercial.. The camera shots make the Caliber look like a Charger wagon.. It looks way better in the commercial than it does in person..

The fairy thing is weird, but at least you remember it..

fintail · April 2006

I hate that song that seems to accompany all Subaru ads of late

anythngbutgm · April 2006

I totally agree. Lame, lame, lame :mad:

john_324 · April 2006

Is that the Cheryl Crowe one? "Every day is a winding road..."?

While I don't like the song or the "artist", does seem kinda appropriate, given Subuaru's somewhat "crunchy" base of loyalists...

jipster · April 2006

For some reason I really like the Mazda commercials. Engineers from Honda, Toyota and Nissan(and many others) are standing around in white lab coats. They are watching hoads of buyers at the Mazda dealership. "Ach toh leba" one VW engineer says. They are wishing they could create as much excitement over their cars. Then the catchy tune of "Zoom...Zoom ..Zooom" starts to play.

anythngbutgm · April 2006

No, that one works. It is some jangly tune that sounds like something out of an 80's sitcom. Shows more clips of people doing "Outdoorsy stuff" than the actual cars. The music is easily more irritating than the Toyo ones a couple of months ago "Don't hold back, don't you wait, you've waited all year long...", but along the same lines.

hansienna · April 2006

Why is Volkswagen advertising the fact that people do not want to drive a Volkswagen?

On the other hand, Mazda commercials do have a catchy theme and tune.

anythngbutgm · April 2006

Speaking of Toyota, anyone notice the amplified exhaust sounds in the new Toyota ads? Especially the new RX350 ad going around the racetrack, sounds real sweet. Same goes for what looks to be the Camry SE in Blue accelerating away from a cafe I believe.

I don't how real the sounds are, but they do get my attention...

ateixeira · April 2006

The really funny part is that Subaru is using a Cheryl Crow song, but Lance is their spokesman, and they broke up!

-juice

richardcd · April 2006

What car is featured in the April 2006 TV commercial that shows a bad comedian sitting in the front passenger seat telling a bad joke to a stiff couple in the back seats. And then there is silence while the car continues driving.

toomanyfumes · April 2006

Ok, I just realized I have no idea how to spell rendeavous. Anyway, the new commercial for Buick, they show it on the road from different directions. The thing just isn't attractive, no matter what the camera angle is.

gagrice · April 2006

Rendezvous

fintail · April 2006

This is kinda cool...interesting car too

kyfdx · April 2006

That is very cool...

It is also what an Acura TSX wagon would look like!!

fintail · April 2006

I've heard the diesel the put in those is an excellent unit, too. Something cool we'll never see.

speterson1 · April 2006

Wow, anyone else seen the "Safe Happens" VW ad? For the first 15 seconds or so it shows four 20-somethings in the car discussing the chick flick they all just saw, with the guys talking about how they weren't crying and the ladies accusing them of hiding it in the typical guy ways, and then out of nowhere the car gets t-boned (with the camera angle simulating if you were the front passenger chatting and looking at the driver). Quick cut to the post-accident scene, with the ladies crying tears of relief as everyone in the car is OK. Very powerful, well done ad.

anythngbutgm · April 2006

They had a wrecked car just like it at NY. Compartment held up very well. Commercial really hits home. Well done.

fintail · April 2006

I just saw that VW ad last night too. Very memorable...VW's ad agency(ies) are doing some decent work.

odie6l · April 2006

I've seen at least 4 different VW crash commercials.

Odie

carlisimo · April 2006

I have an objection to playing on people's fears. Not just in car commercials either. Philosophical reasons aside, do you really want to identify your car with feelings of doom an' gloom? Feeling protected from a threat still means you're thinking about the threat all the time. Would you rather assign happy sunshine lolipop feelings to your product? That's how VW got its hip image in the first place...

john_324 · April 2006

It's not really doom and gloom, but rather the amazement at the end when they're standing there, unharmed.

I don't think it makes people focus on the possibility of an accident, but rather allows them to stop focusing on it. A while back, I had a friend who owned a Suzuki Samurai...every time I rode in it, I had a hard time keeping up with the in-car conversation, as I kept thinking about rolling over, get crushed, etc. :surprise:

Safety is a big selling point...that's how Volvo made its reputation after all. Seems to play it up in ads is an attempt to go after the "mature" crowd perhaps? Could be, as VWs are favorities with women, who are known to prize things like safety and reliability in their autos.

Slightly off-track, but I notice Volvo has officially revived the Austin Powers "male symbol" logo in its ads...yeah baby! :shades:

tazereli · April 2006

comparing 2 vehicles from unlike classes? I saw one where the Chevy Equinox to a Lexus RX 330 and bragging its over several thousand dollars cheaper. Well duh!!! I would surely hope it is much cheaper. If the Equinox was as expensive it would be the rip-off of the century.How about the Equinox compared to the Highlander? That's a much closer comparision. The second was was pretty much the same thing only with a new Tahoe and LX470. This time it was over 17K cheaper. Where are the marketing/advertising people's brains in all this? What's next, a Cobalt LS and Mercedes S-class just because they both have 4 doors, a motor and tires?

Regards,
Kyle

fintail · April 2006

That Equinox/RX ad has been mocked everywhere. Whoever hired that ad agency should be given a white box and a pink slip. You couldn't fool my grandma with that comparison. The Equinox can compare with a RAV. Chevy doesn't = Lexus in anyone's mind, not even the most market-ignorant overpaid GM exec.

I think the new S class should be compared with the Aveo notchback...4 tires, 4 doors, and they both have trunks!

ateixeira · April 2006

I have a different objection - VW didn't have a single car on the IIHS Gold list.

Subaru now has two, for instance, Impreza > Jetta and Legacy > Passat in those series of crash tests.

Any how, the wrong company is doing the bragging. 9-3, Civic, Impreza, Legacy, and Five Hundred are some of the Gold winners.

-juice

lemko · April 2006

...I didn't see the driver at the end. Did he survive the crash or emerge unscathed?

rockylee · April 2006

http://www.volvocars.com/campaigns/news80/geneva/default.htm

Gotta go gallery and click on video's to watch.

Rocky

kyfdx · April 2006

You have to really look close... I watched it a dozen times before I saw him.... First, they show a wide shot, and you can't spot him.. But, then.. they show a closer shot of the girl, and he is next to her...

My only problem with these spots... is they show the driver being distracted by conversation, and they never see the other car until it is too late..

While that may be an accurate portrayal of real life, I'd like my car commercials to be a little more idealistic when showing proper driving habits...

akuska1 · April 2006

> I have a different objection - VW didn't have a single car on the IIHS Gold list.

No, but they have a bunch of cars on the Silver list (Jetta, Passat, Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A6, Rabbit once it's released). They fall short of the Gold solely because of the rear crash ratings (they get the 2nd highest rating of "Acceptable"), and the IIHS press releases make clear that the IIHS praises VW for its commitment to safety. On the frontal and side impact tests, the VWs do just as well, or better, than the 9-3, Civic, Impreza, Legacy, and Five Hundred.

The crashes in the commercials are front and side-impact.

BTW, Subaru is doing a lot of bragging right now about safety, as they should. They just do it the more conventional way (mentioning that they get the Gold award).

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

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