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

roadburner · December 2009

fintail · December 2009

I was being sarcastic about what was claimed about the housing arrangements of "class" compared to what someone called "trash". I was replying to a pretentious and ridiculous statement.

Lexus makes some cars that are very good at what they do, but a lot of enthusiasts aren't into it. I can't think of why I would be jealous of the relentless pursuit of isolation and merging onto highways at 38mph - the hallmark of suburban Seattle Lexus owners

euphonium · December 2009

I didn't know there were apartments on Hunts Point.

Kirstie_H · December 2009

I'm OK with the Lexus ones - I'm not interested in a Lexus right now, so quite honestly they're just neutral to me. If there's nothing overtly offensive, i tend to ignore the commercials I haven't already DVRed to skip through

I find the Audi / Christmas lights commercial to be slightly offensive. I dunno why, but it seems pretentious. The rest of the families are festively decorating their houses, and the Audis coming out of the garage seem, well, more like showing off.

tmart · December 2009

Sorry if I hit a nerve, was not my intent. Some folks seem, to me, to be jealous. or envious, of those who have or could afford to buy a Luxus. You are definitely not in that group. It's different strokes for different folks. My C70 and ES300 couldn't be more different cars, but they excell at what they do. The C70 is much more for fun to DRIVE, whereas the Lexus is better to RIDE in, excluding the fact the Volvo seats are much more comfortable.

ateixeira · December 2009

I find the ads a bit tacky.

Jealous?

Nope.

I have a Sienna and a Miata. I could afford a Lexus (it would cost less than both of my cars), but the Sienna offers more room than any Lexus and the Miata is more fun.

Also, the red ribbon implies it was gifted but not necessarily earned. It comes off as materialistic, even spoiled.

I don't want my kids to watch commercials like that and think they're classy, but that's just me.

If they want to purchase a Lexus, I will have no problem with that. My Toyota is a great vehicle. But I will say this - that's something they will have to earn all by themselves. Hit the books, study hard.

xrunner2 · December 2009

I find the Audi / Christmas lights commercial to be slightly offensive.

Agree. Mean-spirited and anti-Christmas.

There is a bank commercial that is kind of a take-off of a Lexus commercial from last year using a pony. A man has two young girls (6 years old?) sitting at a table. He asks first one if she wants a pony. She says yes and he gives her a toy model of a pony. He asks second girl, she says yes and he brings out a live pony. First girl then says to him that he didn't ask her if she wanted a real live pony. The mean man then says, "You didn't ask". First girl then has sorrowful expression. Got to wonder. Were those girls acting, or not? If not, then very questionable using children like that.

fintail · December 2009

No offense taken...I am sure some people don't like the ads or the cars I like either. Doesn't change my tastes. If people are secure with their choices, opinions of bigmouths like me won't matter :shades:

I am put off by the Lexus ads for the reason mentioned in 3570. There's a demographic who likes some of the vehicles who makes the commercial image look very true.

Good point about being good to drive vs good to ride in.

fintail · December 2009

But there are in Clyde Hill...and plenty in my neighborhood that rent for as much as a mansion mortgage payment

british_rover · December 2009

Wait if the C70 has better seats, and Volvos always have better seats I just took a guy out of his 105,000 Range Rover into a 40,000 XC60 partly because of the better seats, and it is more fun to drive then the ES300 then how is the ES300 more fun to ride in?

Sure the ES300 is more reliable since it uses all camry mechanical that they duplicate 500,000 plus times over in a year but besides that and the cargo hauling advantage what is better about it?

tmart · December 2009

Mainly its the suspension differences, I think. The C70 feels alot more irregular road surfaces that the ES300 ignores. Even with the better seats in the Volvo, you feel a lot of bumps. BUT, with the top down and the SC901 cranking, one forgets about the bumps! :shades:

ateixeira · December 2009

Actually I'm going to step up and defend the ES - at one car show I went to, I sat in every back seat I could. Hundreds of them.

The single most comfortable rear seat I sampled was a Lexus ES. Soft, supple leather, just a great place to be.

I'd rather drive a BMW, but I'd rather be a passenger in a Lexus.

lemko · December 2009

If there was a Lexus in which I wanted to be a rear seat passenger, it would be the long wheelbase LS460. Heck, that thing has it's own radio and climate controls for the back seat, not to mention an icebox!

fintail · December 2009

I rode in an 05 LS430 once...amazingly smooth leather, very supple ride and high build quality. Those cars seem like a bit of a used bargain now...kind of like a more modern more reliable 1999 S-class :shades:

british_rover · December 2009

Well the C70 is a short wheel base coupe/hard top vert with a performance suspension and tires so yeah it is gonna be a bit rougher. :P

Lexus seats are just too soft for me. The leather is too slippery too I always feel like I am going to slide out of the seat. Saab 9-5s without the Sport or Aero seats give me the same feeling.

ateixeira · December 2009

I don't think they had one at that particular show. Plus chauffer driven models shouldn't count.

Did you see the new Sienna XLE and Limited are getting foot rests? They'd be close, and for half (more like 1/4) of the money.

Pass the Grey Poupon you bought at Costco with a coupon.

fintail · December 2009

This appears to be several years old, but I just came across it. Pretty cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z5mrIS0Zho&feature=related

ateixeira · December 2009

Clever. The changes are very subtle, too. It really shows the evolution of the big Benz.

toomanyfumes · December 2009

That was a good one....

If I see that Toyotathon ad one more time...... :mad:

urnews · December 2009

If I see that Toyotathon ad one more time..

That is the worse car commercial on TV. Really dumb.
U R NEWS

fintail · December 2009

Is that the one where people race into a showroom to reserve a car, and one guy gets left out and the salespeople tell him there are more cars, or something like that? Even my 80+ year old grandmother commented on how dumb that one was, at Christmas.

urnews · December 2009

Yeah, that's the one. It might be the worst car ad ever.

xrunner2 · December 2009

Is that the one where people race into a showroom to reserve a car, and one guy gets left

That was a light-hearted commercial. Kind of similar to other car makers showing a lot of customer traffic in their showrooms.

One of dumbest car commercials is that of a car crashing through the windows into the showroom - was that Mercedes? Now that does not make any sense at all, is pointless and reflects poorly on the car manufacturer involved.

The dumbest commercials are car makers that show their car driving on desert floor, dust/sand being kicked up, then car goes sliding every which way. Who the heck drives a car like that?

fintail · December 2009

If the spot was meant as a parody toward previous lame Toyota commercials, I could see it....but they are serious, I fear.

The MB ad makes sense in the context of the ad copy. The new E coupe is touted as a new member in a long line of MB sports coupes (although in most variants you'll see on the road, it isn't the sportiest thing) - and it crashes onto the scene in a display of sporty cars at the MB museum (perhaps the best maker-sponsored museum in the world). It doesn't seem out of line to me. It's better than Lexus cars shown in front of pretentious shops, no matter that "apartment and condo trash" as someone put it, purchase a great deal of them. A good RX ad would have an affluent non-working free-spending housewife cruising between the gallery mall and the botox clinic...maybe an LS ad featuring the same driver unable to park the big car properly and destroying the wheels along the curb :shades:

I don't like ads that show cars on shiny wet roads on sunny days, and the cars always appear perfectly clean. From my experience, a car on a wet road in the sunshine looks dirty faster than in any other weather.

This will still go down as one of the best ads ever

lemko · December 2009

That Toyota commercial showing everybody running toward a Toyota to claim like it was musical chairs is really lame. A Toyota isn't the kind of car anybody dreams of buying. It's the kind of car one "has to get" or "settles for" or "because an even more lame consumer magazine told them what to buy and they can't think for themselves." It's not the car "one really wants." It would be a lot more believable if the ad showed an exotic car dealership and a bunch of average people just hit the lottery.

ateixeira · December 2009

Yes it will. They have a great story to tell, and that ad captures it well.

xrunner2 · December 2009

That Toyota commercial showing everybody running toward a Toyota to claim like it was musical chairs is really lame.

Toyota commercials in showrooms are full of life, are lively. Get with Toyotathon at this time of year.

Some years ago, should have had someone following me (with a camcorder) and an elderly relative going to a Lincoln/Mercury showroom to document. Relative wanted me to look at full-size Mercury with him. Showroom was dead, sales guys looked like they were on Medicare and a couple sales offices reeked of cigar smoke. Based on who I see driving Buicks and Cadillacs, have to imagine their showrooms are the same.

Have to admit though that recent Buick Lacross commercial of new model being driven on city streets is classy. Perhaps that model will get average age of owners into lower 60's.

fintail · December 2009

You mean they aren't going to run out of Camrys? The commercials are creating a false sense of urgency? People aren't paying double MSRP for Corollas? Kids who liked big wheels don't drive Lexus ES by the time they hit 40?

lemko · December 2009

Toyota commercials in showrooms are full of life, are lively.

Yeah, just like an ocean full of sharks with terrified people desperately trying to swim away from them! The last time I was in a Toyota showroom, it was like swimming in a tank full of sharks and barracudas while wearing a bloody meat suit. I'll take that friendly serene Buick or Cadillac showroom any day. Besides, I like my fine cigars.In addition to two Cadillacs and a Buick, I also have a full-size Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Surprise! I'm a youthful 44 years old!

ateixeira · December 2009

Getting an e-quote is key. That's what I did to purchase my Sienna.

While I was there a "minnow" came to complain to me about the sharks and how he was being treated.

He later apologized to me, and ended up buying a Highlander anyway. Strange day.

xrunner2 · December 2009

I'll take that friendly serene Buick or Cadillac showroom any day.

WIthout identifying any particular commercial, my overall feeling is that Buick and Cadillac tv commercials recently are generally in good taste. That one showing a new Lacross being driven on city streets is very good. Almost, almost tempts me to wander into a Buick showroom for a test drive. But, don't really need a new vehicle at this time. Don't want to go in under false pretense.

roadburner · December 2009

In addition to two Cadillacs and a Buick, I also have a full-size Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Surprise! I'm a youthful 44 years old!

Wow, you are old way beyond your years! At this rate you'll be riding an electric scooter in the grocery before you hit 55...

euphonium · January 2010

Not if he gives up smoking.

fintail · January 2010

I've noticed an uptick in Prius ads lately, at least in my area.

One of them has a song that I absolutely loathe.

lemko · January 2010

It's not the one with the flowers and such? They always play that ad on the televisions mounted on top of the gas pumps at my local Sunoco. That effeminate ad only reinforces my idea of the Prius as a "girl's car" and another reason I'd never consider one.

fintail · January 2010

I think that's it yeah...it is very effeminate...maybe not that the average Prius buyer would notice. I now remember a similar song was used on the Toyota ads shown between PBS shows maybe 5 years ago. It doesn't make me want to buy one either.

ateixeira · January 2010

There's nothing wrong with appealing to women...they influence more than half of all purchases now.

Plus I thought the ad was well made and very clever.

Macho-neanderthals (like in the that-thing-gotta-Hemi ads) aren't ever going to buy a hybrid anyway, so I think it works just fine with the intended demographic.

Does it make me want to buy one? No. But I did call my kids to see it the first time I saw it. Plus we're talking about the ad, and we all remember it.

It checks all the boxes for a successful ad campaign.

I think it was very effective, actually.

ateixeira · January 2010

Pic for reference...

Sort of has a modern Alice in Wonderland feel to it, with many humans involved in its creation.

Contrast that with this:

Both target opposite ends of the spectrum.

fintail · January 2010

Yeah...I never said it was a bad ad campaign per se...it just annoys me...especially that particular song (It's a beautiful day?). I can deal with all of the ridiculous eco claims and somewhat overdone imagery. After all, selling the image is as important as selling the product. If they want to present reality, maybe they need to show a Prius camping out in the left lane or merging onto a highway at 30mph or hypermiling on a residential street with 10 cars stacked up behind it :shades:

Most of the Hemi themed ads were pretty dorky, and I remember some Dodge truck ads being paricularly bad, infused with false machismo to lure in the average suburban truck driver who lives in a tract house 4 miles from work and visits Home Depot once every 9 months.

ateixeira · January 2010

They're definitely stretching it, as if hybrids spewed out flowers and children. Or flower children.

But it sorta works - it's people in harmony with nature.

A stretch, for sure, but the demographic eats that up.

fintail · January 2010

Well, the ad shows people in harmony with nature, but the last time I checked that vehicle still has a gasoline engine, and gets no better mileage than many (other market) diesel vehicles and even a few old gas vehicles. It's feel good marketing, no matter how valid the feelings.

Seeing it still doesn't make me feel different about driving a V8 either :shades:

ateixeira · January 2010

It is a PZEV, and I'm not sure, but I doubt diesels could meet that standard.

The ad is as much about emissions as anything, if not more so.

stever · January 2010

But it sorta works - it's people in harmony with nature.

But where are the whales?

Oh yeah, they are getting hunted down by the Japanese whalers. :P

fintail · January 2010

It's still consuming refined oil, which makes for plenty of environmental issues in itself. Even the little bit of material coming out of that hamster engine won't make flowers bloom or trees grow :P

And heck, my tuned V8 is marked as a LEV...maybe I should call it a 'green' car...

ateixeira · January 2010

Yeah but there's ULEV, SULEV, and SSSSSSSLEV, and then PZEV.

fintail · January 2010

I saw the annoying song ad again this evening. It's not a flowers and trees ad, it just shows people and at the end has a spot where the website info is inserted. The imagery isn't irksome...but the song really irritates me somehow.

I am thinking of converting my fintail to steam power with a coal-fired boiler...it already cancels out about 50 Prius...maybe I can make it 100 :shades:

roadburner · January 2010

... running on some of the CarSpace topic pages. It quotes Automobile magazine's statement that the Malibu is "better looking than a Honda Accord".
Isn't that kind of like saying, "Not as skanky as Lindsay Lohan"?

ateixeira · January 2010

Not to mention that's such a subjective statement to begin with.

stever · January 2010

But ... it made you look.

And some people clicked through.

And some of our server bills got paid thanks to those clicks.

scscars · January 2010

Not only does that song irritate me, but so does the one for Chrysler Town and Country showing the three girls on the way to the beach in their minivan. Of course, its been cloudy and bitter cold here, so songs accompanying trees, flowers, and the beach are rather irritating to me given that spring is only 80 days away, but who's counting?

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

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