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There is no shortage of silly car/truck ads and GM is doing their part to make sure it stays that way, the now old Chevy like a rock slogan (great tune by Bob Seger ? but not sure comparing your vehicles to a rock is a good idea) now the new Cadillac ads (I've seen two) show a new Caddy rushing into head-on traffic and the 2 nd shows a Caddy beating two trains by seconds, good idea. (not)
IMO, the worst one now is the one for the Saturn VUE where the VUE is being chased by the bobcat in the snow. To me, it looks like the VUE is a remote-controlled toy bouncing along the ground. The last shot showing the VUE driving through the snow looks a lot like a toy. I can't believe someone at GM signed off on that one--what were they thinking?
Saturn Vue - I suppose that they are trying to get the message across that the vehicle is very effective off-roader, but I thought of it more as a toy as well...
I love all VW commercials... like the Passat spinning, the guy who leaps at the carriage, the guy who licks the door handle... it's all good!
I hate to love that Kia one where the guy is like, "Honey, whose car is that in the driveway?" I always imitate it when it's like "IT ISSSSSS ISSSSN'T IT"
The best though is the Hyundai one when the wife sees her husband (implied) on the road and she has some guy she's (we're assuming) having an affair with in the passenger seat, so she reclines his seat all the way down. She pulls up to her husband who looks surprised so she holds up dry cleaning and he mouths, "Ohh OK". Then she drives off looking smug and reclines the passenger seat back up. Then you see another hand reach for the reclining lever and this young hunky guy with a cowboy hat comes up next to the husband. Then it says "The Smarter Choice". Classic! LOL
What do you guys think of the new VW Turbo series of ads? Where they show these 3D drawings of the engine and the background voice talks about the engine with all this technical jargon, then they cut off to some random normal person who tries to explain in regular terms. I kinda like the slogan: "It's not rocket science...well it is, sort of."
Those turbo ads are good. I saw the "ant" VUE ad for the first time last night--it's worse than the bobcat in the snow commercial! What are they thinking?
BTW, I haven't seen the ones where the guy explains that the shape of the Beetle is very strong. I wonder how well the Beetle did in crash tests.... I guess I should check it out
Standard safety equipment: Front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters Rear outboard seatbelts with load limiters 4 head restraints Front dual-stage airbags and side impact airbags for the front seat
VW ads are cool all around, I echo maxintosh. The licking the door handle one is great, and I don't know what it is, but the animation style in that one that shows the pack of engineers going through the VW timeline has me entranced every time I see it. And who can forget the "Mr. Roboto" ads?!?! Great!
The ads that crack me up are the Chevy ads with that dork who's in love with the new Impala, the one like his dad used to have (not really). They've actually pulled (or at least I haven't seen them in quite awhile) the early versions of that ad, where the saleslady comes up to him, asks him if he wants to test-drive it, and he just says flat out, "Nope. This is my car. I'm buying this car." What kind of completely brainless twit buys a car off the lot without even test-driving it?!?!? That ad must be every car salesman's fantasy. Chevy's subliminal message: when buying a car, be completely sentimental and leave the left side of your brain at home, that will make it much easier for our salesmen to clear the lots with your hasty impulse buys. Please!
Those Maytag guys are chasing an Alfa 164 painted an odd primer grey color. But listen close and to me it sounds like owning the Chevy is the alternative to owning a reliable car.
The Vue with the bunnies is playful, I can get that. The ants though? Brother.
I like simple ads, show the car. The engine is the music. The WRX ads are cool. The RSX ads sort of copied the same idea, but were also cool.
I actually like the new Cadillac ad with the CTS. They are passionate, and show their new direction effectively. The CTS looks much better next to the Escalade EXT and XLR, you understand the new look better seeing the whole family.
I like the GMC Envoy commercial that asks which vehicle was named Motor Trend's Truck of the Year, then states "It's not Mercedes" and "It's not Toyota," etc. The commercial ends with "For those who said America couldn't compete..." and then introduces the GMC Envoy while the song playing in the background ends with the line "Who's got the last laugh now?" I think the ad makes its point, and I like that it defends US car makers.
I CANNOT STAND the recent Chrysler commercials with their sexual innuendoes, although I do like that PT Cruiser ad in which the woman steals the keys. The "Drive = Love" campaign is lame and needs to go. I think Chrysler should try to presents itself as a premium brand with serious ads to help distance itself from Dodge.
Is that HORRIBLE one where the girl is riding in the car with her mom and she's like, "Why did you name me Sebring?" and then she notices the badge on the dashboard, and she's like "Oh." What kind of twisted, f-ed up person would name their kid after a car???
I actually don't like that add just because it's basically saying, "hey all we've ever made is hunks of trash......until now!". Probably just me, but that's the vibe I get.
Why does EVERY Ford ad have the loudest and most annoying noise or music possible? What idiot decided that loud and irritating noises make good advertising? I really don't know much about their actual ads, cuz I cant stand to listen to more than a second or two before I change channels. I would LOVE to have 5 minutes in a locked room with the person who came up with it.........
but I CAN'T STAND Ford's "Taking to the streets" ads. They're always about 40 decibels louder than the morning news I was watching before the commercials. As far as local ads, the local Toyota dealers here are the biggest bunch of screamers and yellers. I want to go down to the dealership, not to test drive their cars, but to punch every one of them in the face!
Worst: In the 1970's, there was a commercial for a Ford Granada, comparing it to a M-B. I think E-class. It would have a split screen with one on top of the other, and ask, can you tell the difference? The only thing similar between the two cars was the silver paint!
Huh?: That Nissan commercial with the radio controlled 300ZX and the Van Halen tune aired after they pulled the Z-car from the lineup. Too bad they couldn't think it up when they had the Z.
Best:
My favorite car commercial was the Audi spot with the A6 pulling the wake boarder.
Non CM plugs:
Why spend money advertising a sporty car when you can lease your badge to Grand Tourismo or other driving games? I'm sure that's sold more than just a car or two.
Mission Impossible-2 probably had a positive impact on Audi TT sales. I don't know if the James Bond movies have had the desired impact for BMW, but I like the bmwfilms.com series.
already have the majority of makes licensed, except notable absences like Ferrari and Porsche, which have their own licensing agreements with EA Sports for their F1 and Porsche racing games.
video games are a great tool for product advertisement, especially toward the 18-25 young male crowd...
"The CTS looks much better next to the Escalade EXT and XLR, you understand the new look better seeing the whole family."
Maybe it's just me, but that strikes me as saying an ugly car doesn't look so bad when it's next to a REALLY ugly car. Which is probably the case here.
I'm sick of their commercials where they constantly compare their vehicles to those of Honda and Toyota. Please, give it a 20 year warranty and I'd still pick a RAV4 over a Sportage.
I thought those Acura ads were sorta dumb, (and I like Acura a lot!). The one were the guy goes from NYC to Maine for clam chowder, and the other where the guy goes from LA to San Fran for a date. Is it supposed to mean an Acura makes you immune to speeding tickets?
Would some one tell me who sings/ sang that song in the car comm. that starts "I'm your vehicle baby. I'll take you anywhere you want to go..". I know its an oldie.
Which brand is that anyway? Even though they play it 3 times an hour during the Olympics, I block it out.
what a feeling, Toy-o-ta! About 20 some years ago, a person would jump off the ground(in front of a Toyota) arms in the air, and click their heels to the above lyrics.
Just thought I'd mention it. Was different for awhile.
"Oh What A Feeling" is still the slogan for Toyota Motor Australia. I was on their website the other day comparing their Corolla to ours, and I noticed that antiquated slogan. I liked the "Everyday People" ads they ran around 1997 or so. But that song gets in your head!
Correction: I saw the ad again, and the Alfa is painted a really wierd primer pink, sort of.
But the ad basically says sometimes you want to be reliable, other times you just want to drive. So it's like they present an alternative - get a Maytag appliance (reliable), or drive a Chevy (not reliable). It's subtle, but I find it rather hilarious.
Drive = Love is a stupid tag line. The Chrysler ad was actually a Concorde, the girl was named Savannah, after the city where she was supposedly conceived. She asks why, her little brother is named Concorde, and in the original she realizes what it meant and says yuck. It was so controversial that they softened it up, now the mom says its after Concorde, Mass.
Greg: beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ugly is all over the place, eh? ;-)
I saw yet another version of that Vue ad. It's still model toy-sized. They are really pushing the playfullness, but will people take it seriously?
Has anyone seen the new VUE ad with the lizard that runs across the water? It's even worse than the one with the ants. As the VUE drives across the water, the splashes it makes are like tiny, individual droplets of water. Those Saturn people have really come up with a horrible campaign.
Lexus: Champagne glasses on hood of LS400 with engine running. Camera circling the SC400 as it drives down the road at 55MPH. Man playing violin while the LS400 drives on railroad track foundations. GS400 drives in the fire and rain while MacBeth is read. The introduction of the 1997 ES300 commercial, where the curvy mountain road is lonely (female voice), and complains about not being held and caressed, then the ES makes an enthusaistic pass down this road, and she goes "Whew, what was that?!?" Cadillac: The old Cadillac to new Cadillac, that features the IMAJ concept, and finishes with the XLR parking next to one of their dinosaurs (I LOVE this AD!) Ford: There new Thunderbird ad with the stoplight race. Introduction of the 1997 F-150, when it jumped the 17 cars, signifying leadership for 17 years in a row. Nissan: 300ZX commercial (I just....keep...having...this...dream...) Toyota: Supra introduction (We've taken everything sports cars were before, and crossed the line!). 4Runner introduction in 1996 (Steelers-Cowboys SuperBowl) where the 4Runner runs with the wolves and climbs to a mountain plateau, making the wolves howl in reverance. Audi: A4 introduction in 1996 ("Get ready for the ride of your life!") Mercedes: The Benz SL vs. Hermes in a race after the fired cannonball. Kia: Optima commercials ("There's a new car parked outside with it's lights on, it looks expensive! When all the rich people get outside, his wife turns to him an says "Isn't that your car Harry?" "IT IS, ISN'T IT!!" "Kate, who's new car is that in the driveway? "It's yours, Harry!" "IT IS, ISN'T IT!!" Isuzu: Vehicross, where the guy drives up to the Jet engine supercar and tells the driver that his wallet is on the roof. Then he flashes his lights to pass! BMW: New 7 series ad where the guy gives directions. Worst Ads! GM: Find the missing Chevy Tracker? (Why? Would anyone iss it if it were gone?). Taking pictures of the Cavalier because it's so beautiful? The Chevy Blazer's "Driver Control System"? (What?) Olds Achieva, circa 1994 (The jabroni sas it's better than the Camry, the gibbon says it's better than the Accord.....) Infiniti: Infamous Q45 Zen philosophy ads (that don't show the car), G20 ads ("Bred on the Autobahn"). With 140HP?? Saturn (also GM): latest Saturn SL commercial with sexy, funky hip-hop music and pictures of the least sexy/funky car on the market. Has that oil and water effect.
Do those count as ads at all? If anyone hasn't seen these yet, I'd suggest going to www.bmwfilms.com right now and watching. They got some great, great directors doing some neat stuff in BMW's (Didn't see that one coming ^_^). Really good stuff.
Most Hated Commericals:
Pontiac: The Aztek, proof that God doesn't exist, or at least doesn't care.
Pontiac: "What would you do if you were given the keys to a Pontiac for a week" Why do all the people go straight to Las Vegas or goof off. For one thing, don't they have jobs? Secondly, why on earth would you ever get psyched about getting a car for a week? A Sunfire isn't a 911.
Pontiac (yet again): Following the Chicago Auto Show. Concerning the Grand Prix: "It's like a high end sports car. I've always aspired to own this car (or something like that)." Look,let's not kid ourselves here. Nobody is going to mistake your Grand Prix for a Ferrari or a Porsche. And a Grand Prix is not a car you aspire to own. People aspire to own Lexuses, BMW's, Benz's, Ferrari's, Aston Martin's, etc. and maybe even Lincoln and Caddy's. Oh yeah, one other thing that annoys the heck out of me: The couple that talks about the Aztek being hip, cool and stylish. How much did Pontiac pay you again?
...or any other new car, I'd schedule all kinds of high-mileage trips for business and other errands just to keep the miles off my car! Anyway, I had a Grand Prix as a rental for a week and felt sorry to turn it back in. It really was a nice car.
The Chevy olympic ads were OK, but they promote the idea that Chevrolet lacks capital to invest in good advertising, and is staffed by incompetent dopes who think that slapping a logo on something that gets seen on TV is a good idea.
The irony is that the timeslot, olympic tie in and athlete endorsements probably cost a ton of money!
...but NOT sad to see the Chevy "We'll Be There" ads finished! The one with the hockey players is amusing, and I can appreciate the concept, but the one where the Olympic flame goes out was too much. The guy saying that this moment may be the best moment of his life or whatever...ugh! Makes me ill.
Nissan kept one-upping Lexus, though, showing its Altima could do all the things they bragged the LS could. I score that in favor of Nissan. The side effect, though, was that it killed J30 sales because it borrowed that styling.
I cannot stand the goofy Chevy duo that puts the badges on people's backs, and keeps showing the bow tie. They even put out the olympic flame for one ad, which is sacreligious.
If I got a Sunfire for a week, my response would be "do I HAVE to drive it?"
... but I just saw the Vibe commercial. It looks like it was unscripted, getting people's reactions to the car parked at the curb, unattended. Note that all the reactions shown are from young people, the target demographic for the new Vibe.
Of course it could all have been staged, with paid actors, etc (although I doubt it). The candid-camera realism of the commercial sets it apart from other car ads. Very effective, very entertaining.
Comments
"Our cupholders are tournament sized"
the one with the balls falling from the sky... not that good...
I hate to love that Kia one where the guy is like, "Honey, whose car is that in the driveway?" I always imitate it when it's like "IT ISSSSSS ISSSSN'T IT"
The best though is the Hyundai one when the wife sees her husband (implied) on the road and she has some guy she's (we're assuming) having an affair with in the passenger seat, so she reclines his seat all the way down. She pulls up to her husband who looks surprised so she holds up dry cleaning and he mouths, "Ohh OK". Then she drives off looking smug and reclines the passenger seat back up. Then you see another hand reach for the reclining lever and this young hunky guy with a cowboy hat comes up next to the husband. Then it says "The Smarter Choice". Classic! LOL
BTW, I haven't seen the ones where the guy explains that the shape of the Beetle is very strong. I wonder how well the Beetle did in crash tests.... I guess I should check it out
Excellent, excellent, good, good
IIHS offset
Good, BEST PICK
Bumpers:
Good
Head restraints:
Good
Standard safety equipment:
Front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters
Rear outboard seatbelts with load limiters
4 head restraints
Front dual-stage airbags and side impact airbags for the front seat
Very safe car indeed
The ads that crack me up are the Chevy ads with that dork who's in love with the new Impala, the one like his dad used to have (not really). They've actually pulled (or at least I haven't seen them in quite awhile) the early versions of that ad, where the saleslady comes up to him, asks him if he wants to test-drive it, and he just says flat out, "Nope. This is my car. I'm buying this car." What kind of completely brainless twit buys a car off the lot without even test-driving it?!?!? That ad must be every car salesman's fantasy. Chevy's subliminal message: when buying a car, be completely sentimental and leave the left side of your brain at home, that will make it much easier for our salesmen to clear the lots with your hasty impulse buys. Please!
The Vue with the bunnies is playful, I can get that. The ants though? Brother.
I like simple ads, show the car. The engine is the music. The WRX ads are cool. The RSX ads sort of copied the same idea, but were also cool.
I actually like the new Cadillac ad with the CTS. They are passionate, and show their new direction effectively. The CTS looks much better next to the Escalade EXT and XLR, you understand the new look better seeing the whole family.
-juice
I CANNOT STAND the recent Chrysler commercials with their sexual innuendoes, although I do like that PT Cruiser ad in which the woman steals the keys. The "Drive = Love" campaign is lame and needs to go. I think Chrysler should try to presents itself as a premium brand with serious ads to help distance itself from Dodge.
In the 1970's, there was a commercial for a Ford Granada, comparing it to a M-B. I think E-class. It would have a split screen with one on top of the other, and ask, can you tell the difference? The only thing similar between the two cars was the silver paint!
Huh?:
That Nissan commercial with the radio controlled 300ZX and the Van Halen tune aired after they pulled the Z-car from the lineup. Too bad they couldn't think it up when they had the Z.
Best:
My favorite car commercial was the Audi spot with the A6 pulling the wake boarder.
Non CM plugs:
Why spend money advertising a sporty car when you can lease your badge to Grand Tourismo or other driving games? I'm sure that's sold more than just a car or two.
Mission Impossible-2 probably had a positive impact on Audi TT sales. I don't know if the James Bond movies have had the desired impact for BMW, but I like the bmwfilms.com series.
video games are a great tool for product advertisement, especially toward the 18-25 young male crowd...
Maybe it's just me, but that strikes me as saying an ugly car doesn't look so bad when it's next to a REALLY ugly car. Which is probably the case here.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
That is funny!! :-)
Which brand is that anyway? Even though they play it 3 times an hour during the Olympics, I block it out.
About 20 some years ago, a person would jump off the ground(in front of a Toyota) arms in the air, and click their heels to the above lyrics.
Just thought I'd mention it. Was different for awhile.
"Oh What A Feeling" is still the slogan for Toyota Motor Australia. I was on their website the other day comparing their Corolla to ours, and I noticed that antiquated slogan. I liked the "Everyday People" ads they ran around 1997 or so. But that song gets in your head!
-Andrew L
But the ad basically says sometimes you want to be reliable, other times you just want to drive. So it's like they present an alternative - get a Maytag appliance (reliable), or drive a Chevy (not reliable). It's subtle, but I find it rather hilarious.
Drive = Love is a stupid tag line. The Chrysler ad was actually a Concorde, the girl was named Savannah, after the city where she was supposedly conceived. She asks why, her little brother is named Concorde, and in the original she realizes what it meant and says yuck. It was so controversial that they softened it up, now the mom says its after Concorde, Mass.
Greg: beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ugly is all over the place, eh? ;-)
I saw yet another version of that Vue ad. It's still model toy-sized. They are really pushing the playfullness, but will people take it seriously?
-juice
If I hear that song "I'm Your Vehicle Baby" one more time, I'm going to throw up.
Most Hated Commericals:
Pontiac: The Aztek, proof that God doesn't exist, or at least doesn't care.
Pontiac: "What would you do if you were given the keys to a Pontiac for a week" Why do all the people go straight to Las Vegas or goof off. For one thing, don't they have jobs? Secondly, why on earth would you ever get psyched about getting a car for a week? A Sunfire isn't a 911.
Pontiac (yet again): Following the Chicago Auto Show. Concerning the Grand Prix: "It's like a high end sports car. I've always aspired to own this car (or something like that)." Look,let's not kid ourselves here. Nobody is going to mistake your Grand Prix for a Ferrari or a Porsche. And a Grand Prix is not a car you aspire to own. People aspire to own Lexuses, BMW's, Benz's, Ferrari's, Aston Martin's, etc. and maybe even Lincoln and Caddy's. Oh yeah, one other thing that annoys the heck out of me: The couple that talks about the Aztek being hip, cool and stylish. How much did Pontiac pay you again?
The irony is that the timeslot, olympic tie in and athlete endorsements probably cost a ton of money!
I cannot stand the goofy Chevy duo that puts the badges on people's backs, and keeps showing the bow tie. They even put out the olympic flame for one ad, which is sacreligious.
If I got a Sunfire for a week, my response would be "do I HAVE to drive it?"
-juice
Of course it could all have been staged, with paid actors, etc (although I doubt it). The candid-camera realism of the commercial sets it apart from other car ads. Very effective, very entertaining.
-juice