How about something imported from Canada? So far, what we’ve seen has been almost exclusively big-budget stuff. But being Canadian, I’m used to small budgets and delighted when I see great work done on the cheap. Any idiot can spend a million dollars. Brilliance comes from the folks who take a small budget and still manage to grab you.
This ‘Human Car’ spot by Ford was shot in a studio. That’s cheaper than going out on location. There’s no dialogue, so performers’ fees are smaller and you can use a single shoot for multiple languages.
Of course, the real magic is the message: a car isn’t anything without a human in it. Hence the literal idea of a human car. Finally, the Canadiana is underscored with Keifer Sutherland doing the voice-over.
Back to the expensive stuff: Fiat 500 ‘Immigrants’. Next, we have a decent combination of topics discussed above. First, the message is very simple and single-minded: Italian-designed cars are coming to America. Second, they spent plenty of money to make the spot as appealing as possible. And third, to prevent it from being banned, they even floated this tiny disclaimer briefly while the cars were underwater: ‘Fictionalization: do not attempt.’ Insert lawyer joke here.
Getting extra media is a piece of cake: Skoda Fabia. Marketers have always pulled stunts to get their clients’ names in the news. (Remember the Madmen episode when Peggy orchestrated a staged fight between turkey shoppers just before Thanksgiving?) However, over the past 10 years clients have begun asking for ‘viral’ from their agencies, as though viral is the final product and not the symptom of smart work. This ad got lots of positive media attention for Skoda.
