Why are car commercials so universally horrible?

**rb336** · March-22-13, 10:38 AM

I'm not talking about the local ads, I'm talking national campaigns.

There have been a few good ones - Mazda's original "zoom zoom" commercials from a few years ago comes to mind, and Kia's hamster ads work for the targeted audience - but for the most part they are just awful.

I think VW is the worst offender in the bunch. They haven't had a campaign that has worked since the 80s. The new Jaguar ads work - but only because the car is so gorgeous. The new Lincoln ads try, but fail, although i give kudos to the one showing an old Lincoln in profile and cutting to the new crossover that seems to she an identical profile. Basically the only ones that work do so because I already lust after the car - the Jag, the ATS, etc. None of them do what ads are supposed to do, which is to make me consider a car I hadn't considered before.

**Detroitnerd** · March-22-13, 10:46 AM

I'm going to say it goes back to the culture of automobile executives. They're insulated from the rest of the world, with employees whose job it is to carry their bag for them. Can you imagine pitching these people with something interesting, like Mr. T punching a car or Robbie Kneivel driving over a cliff or something? I don't think auto executives have taste or ideas or a whole lot of creativity. I also think they're used to ordering people around and getting what they want. "Give me a truck going up a pyramid of boulders," or "Show the sedan driving along a mountain road."

"Yes, sir."

**brizee** · March-22-13, 11:33 AM

I think SOME of Chrysler/Jeep's recent commercials are pretty cool.

And SOME of Fiat's newer commercials are alright.

Probably the diversity of the music.

Lose Yourself and Heart of The City are good songs to grab attention.

The Johnny Cash and "Any Given Sunday" speech Jeep ads are pretty decent.

Fiat has been kind of crappy, but the new one with the naked lady, scorpion and Isaac Haayes was alright.

**Gannon** · March-22-13, 11:35 AM

I wouldn't say 'universally', but largely they are ignorable.

VW has had some of the best ads in the PAST, but this latest campaign...the reverse-psychology sell? I'd gouge my eyes out if I didn't need 'em. Hate every version with a passion, which is odd for this old VW guy. The bad baseball dad? I'd like to meet the person who thought that one up. Yeah, VW is way off track now...but they've been weird ever since leaving town.

The Fusion ad with the car driving off a cliff was fun, but you have to read the disclaimers. They got hilarious with that one. That car sells itself, and was the greatest buzz generator at the Auto Show, especially that pearl white one...everybody THOUGHT it was a Jaguar at first! Happy to hear Lincoln's MKZ counterpart is selling better than they expected, too.

The Honda ads with the bad salespeople at neighboring dealers trying to answer the buying couple's questions are pretty damn lame, too. Then again, Honda caught the Detroit disease and rested on their laurels...and were eclipsed.

I dunno...cars have become derivations of derivations of derivations of maybe three or four themes now, there is almost NO novelty in the automotive world...although they are closer than ever to making individual, custom creations for each person's needs. Seriously, it is much less common to find a car exactly like yours in a lot than it was in the past decades.

It doesn't really matter, though, even the BEST of ads force everyone to suffer the abuses of the dealership sales floor. Until they fix that, and GM was well on their way with the Saturn experiment until they threw it all in the round file, there is no long-term hope for the automobile business.

**Hermod** · March-22-13, 12:28 PM

Packard is the one for fifty-one. Ask the man who owns one.......

See the USA in your Chevrolet.............

**Bham1982** · March-22-13, 02:42 PM

I think the Fiat and Kia ads are pretty good. Love the little cars "swimming" to the New World. And, yeah, VW ads all seem horrible, basically as long as I can remember.

**rutlev** · March-22-13, 03:40 PM

Who would buy a car driven by hamsters? or rodents? or whatever they are.

**JBMcB** · March-22-13, 03:57 PM

Same reason shampoo commercials are awful. You are selling what is essentially a utility. It's a gadget that gets you from point A to point B. You have to make that exciting somehow, so you have cars doing bootlegger reverses and flying through space, etc...

Unless you have some incredibly cool new feature, like that foot activated liftgate on the Fords [[the only *really* useful new feature I've seen on a car in decades) then you have to jazz up your commercials to ridiculous levels to get any attention.

**rb336** · March-22-13, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by rutlev

Who would buy a car driven by hamsters? or rodents? or whatever they are.

zoology 101 - hamsters are rodents

I did like the Jeep "the things that we build build us" ads - sorta captured the zeitgeist of the time. And it somewhat reminded me of the book "We Eat the Mines and the Mines Eat Us" by June Nash, only in reverse

**black gold man** · March-22-13, 04:33 PM

They were good in 1979

**old guy** · March-22-13, 04:33 PM

Pepsi MAX & Jeff Gordon Present: "Test Drive" - YouTube

This is a Pepsi commercial, but it would be a great car ad.

**Fiestamk1** · March-22-13, 06:01 PM

One of the best in my opinion , I used to love blowing GTI'S away. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=3zcm4...%3D3zcm4oS9IaM

**AuburnSpeedster** · March-22-13, 07:25 PM

I actually love all of Chrysler's ads. I get excited when those come on TV. However, most of the other ones are awful. Like VW's and Honda, Ford, and Toyota. Any ad where all they talk about is fuel economy and rebates and do nothing new or exciting I'm not exactly a fan of

**subsidized** · March-22-13, 07:30 PM

Most VW commercials are awful, but this latest one I saw for the first time a few days ago cracked me up.

**rb336** · March-22-13, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by AuburnSpeedster

I actually love all of Chrysler's ads. I get excited when those come on TV. However, most of the other ones are awful. Like VW's and Honda, Ford, and Toyota. Any ad where all they talk about is fuel economy and rebates and do nothing new or exciting I'm not exactly a fan of

just saying you took the name of my all-time favorite car

**Jimaz** · March-22-13, 09:53 PM

The classic floating VW Beetle commercial

Okay, but how often do you really need that floating feature?

**Richard** · March-22-13, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

The classic floating VW Beetle commercial

Okay, but how often do you really need that floating feature?

well in some cities that are bowl shaped the floating aspect might come in handy .......

**One Shot** · March-22-13, 10:45 PM

The original Chrysler ad was awesome. Everybody jumped on the hometown Detroit theme now with local shots of their cars. I think they've beat this horse to death now...

**Fiestamk1** · March-23-13, 12:25 PM

The best one I ever saw, I had a few 240's, one 260 and one 280. By time the 280 got here it was a dog, kept it 3 months and sold it at a great loss. Switched back to the only car I could ever love! http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=HfXd9...%3DHfXd9q0c5Oc

**fanniemae** · March-23-13, 12:34 PM

The Kia ads are graphics, no human actors to pay. The ads pander to 20 somethings with low budgets. I liked the Kia ads with the sock puppets a few years ago. Catchy song and slogan. The hamster ones, not so much. I have family that works on the business end of the Big 3 commercials here. They kind of keep the goings on to themselves. This stuff very competitive. Loose lips, they lose their job. I do hear some of it though. Dog eat dog in advertising, that is for sure.

**p69rrh51** · March-23-13, 12:43 PM

The latest Lincoln ads are strange. While I like to see the Zephyr and early 60's Continentals. I find it odd that they never show a Lincoln made between the early 60's and the current models. Kind of sad that in 50 years between the Continental and now they cannot find one model to tout in their commercials.

**Fiestamk1** · March-23-13, 12:55 PM

I remember an 80's add about a guy chasing around a Mustang convertible only to see it was a dog. The Mike Rowe commercials suck, they should have him spend a day in a dealership fixing the My Ford Touch and Sync systems. Maybe also explaining how the Focus and Fiesta transmission works.

**rb336** · March-24-13, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by p69rrh51

The latest Lincoln ads are strange. While I like to see the Zephyr and early 60's Continentals. I find it odd that they never show a Lincoln made between the early 60's and the current models. Kind of sad that in 50 years between the Continental and now they cannot find one model to tout in their commercials.

They are going with cars that were "Lincoln Motor Company" and not "Lincoln Division" vehicles - it's part of the branding strategy. The Mark II and the suicide door Lincolns were the top of the luxury heap in their day - esp. the Mark II, which was one of the most expensive production cars in the world at the time, but the Mark II was technically NOT a Lincoln, it was a Continental - a separate marque, and the suicide door . Later-day Marks - like the VII and VIII - have their fans too, and the LS V8 also has a fan club, and was a greatly under-rated car for its day [[and under-marketed)

**p69rrh51** · March-24-13, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

They are going with cars that were "Lincoln Motor Company" and not "Lincoln Division" vehicles - it's part of the branding strategy. The Mark II and the suicide door Lincolns were the top of the luxury heap in their day - esp. the Mark II, which was one of the most expensive production cars in the world at the time, but the Mark II was technically NOT a Lincoln, it was a Continental - a separate marque, and the suicide door . Later-day Marks - like the VII and VIII - have their fans too, and the LS V8 also has a fan club, and was a greatly under-rated car for its day [[and under-marketed)

If its the Lincoln Motor Company they are trying to portray, where is the Model K series? Also why show an automobile that very few[[except for Lincoln fanatics/experts) know about or a car that was "technically" not Lincoln? With some of the newer continentals, anything manufactured after the Mark IV are utter crap. The LS on the other hand is an excellent automobile. The branding strategy seems to be all over the place and the question still stands why aren't there any models made after the early 60's Continental. Maybe because for the last 50 years Lincoln has been selling mostly less than desirable cars. Now they are going through this convoluted exercise to bring to our attention some older automobiles that hardly anyone knows about and some could careless about so they can "brand" themselves? Just for your info. I am a big Zephyr fan as well as all Continentals up to the Mark IV. Personally I think the Mark III and IV should be shown in the commercials.

**black gold man** · March-24-13, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by Fiestamk1

The best one I ever saw, I had a few 240's, one 260 and one 280. By time the 280 got here it was a dog, kept it 3 months and sold it at a great loss. Switched back to the only car I could ever love! http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=HfXd9...%3DHfXd9q0c5Oc

I have 78z 80zx and 83zx The 80 is worn but the 78 and 80 are like new.