What's your favourite ad?
Article by Steven Bochenek
I work in advertising and do this auto writing as a very enjoyable moonlight. The following are among my favourites from the last 10 years. But you know what they say in advertising; rules are made to be broken. Example? The first selection is from over a decade ago…
The BMW films from 2001 and 2002 were made over a decade ago but it’s difficult to explain what a complete game-changer they were. Almost never had there been so much star power in an advertising campaign. Consequently, for one of the first times in history, people were actively seeking out ads, loving them, and sharing them with friends.
Another noteworthy point: the campaign was among the first created strictly for viewing online. Intentionally creating something to be banned had become a routine marketing strategy. Once censors found ads too saucy for us, we consumer-lemmings all sprinted for the Internet to see them. Suddenly the marketer got attention all over the world without paying a cent in media placement fees. However, few marketers were choosing to create a campaign strictly to be viewed online. And no others did it with such clout. In fact, many advertising award shows had to change category titles to accommodate this campaign, which technically didn’t entail TV commercials.
It’s a series of eight films. We’ll share just this one, created by the great Guy Ritchie, starring his erstwhile mononymous wife, who digs deep to play a pop star bitch. No doubt she’s a lovely person in real life, but those of who’ve been waiting decades for Ms. Ciccone to simply go away, really enjoy seeing Clive Owen heave her around the rear of his gorgeous M5.
The Banned Veloster Ad (that’s not why it’s here though). Seeing as we brushed onto the topic, this next ad was censored in its native Netherlands. We can’t assume it was created just to be banned, then viewed all over the world. Indeed, it’s hard to believe Holland even has censors. Certainly they wouldn’t forbid anything for sexual reasons. Instead, what got it banned was the ad’s message: cars with a passenger door on the driver’s side, it purports, are inherently less safe than a Veloster, which passengers can only quit from the passenger side.
And that’s also what makes this ad worth sharing. Note the single-mindedness of the creative message: this is about having three doors and nothing else.
The first rule of all good advertising is to say one thing — and say it unforgettably. (So it’s the first rule that most clients break, preferring to recite a litany of product features in every message, as uniformly as everyone else vying for consumer attention.)
Workin’ watch yo momma gave you: Jaguar F-Type Coupe. Above we discussed how ads should make a single point and do that with panache. On the surface, this spot does a lot of the predictable stuff you’d expect in a car ad: revving engines, sexy racing and oversteered turns, plenty of beauty shots and closeups. Mind, the F-Type is an insanely sexy car that holds up well even to such predictable presentation. Besides, between these shots, you’re constantly reminded that British actors in American films always play the bad guy. That’s the single point this commercial makes … really, really well!
Sheer audacity – 2011 Chevrolet Superbowl. While specificity of message is usually sacrosanct, when it comes to the Superbowl, most clients just want to make a splash. Which this next spot does in spades.
Frankly I’m amazed it wasn’t more celebrated in the media. It was only three years ago but, kudos to Chevrolet for capturing the zeitgeist!
Did you ever watch an episode of Glee? Each opens with a signature gossipy synopsis of what happened leading up to the one you’re about to see. And do you remember the world three years ago, when Glee was bigger than Tim Horton’s? The Superbowl aired February 6, 2011. Outraged Gleeks had already nine weeks for a new episode to air. Yet, because of some damn football match on Fox, they’d have to wait a few trickling hours longer before getting their fix.
This spot was the lead-out from the Superbowl bridging into Glee. However, at first it purports to be Glee, aping that signature gossipy synopsis. It sets the ragtag bunch of singing misfits up to do a commercial for Chevrolet. So they cover the ‘50s classic jingle, See the USA in Your Chevrolet.
So, this was really a big joke that Chevrolet and Glee’s producers played on fans of the show. Brilliant!
‘Imported From Detroit’ – boldest and best positioning of the past decade! My former boss (a retired millionaire) like to call advertising a marketer’s last legal unfair competitive advantage. When you buy into beliefs like that, you can’t create wishy-washy work. This spot reminds me of that belief.
‘Imported from Detroit’ hailed the launch of the new Chrysler 200, but it could have been the positioning for whole company – perhaps even the whole American auto industry. The sweeping shots of historic Detroit juxtaposed against burnt out hulks will make the hairs on the back on your neck stand up. Note the tense music throughout, reminiscent of Eminem’s 8 Mile, though not plagiarizing. Mr. Marshall Mathers himself turns out to be the driver at the end of the spot. Very Detroit. Very good marketing.
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.
Reminding us that driving is fun: Vauxhall Corsa. Remember what we said about rules in advertising? This next spot is also slightly more than 10 years old, but it’s fantastic. The tiny Vauxhall Corsa was nimble and easy to park but didn’t offer much else beyond being fun to drive. And that’s where they found inspiration for their idea.
It takes a few seconds to realize just what’s going on. By then, you’re hooked. Rather than the usual car-porn, speeding-through-the-desert shots we’ve all seen a million times, this transports us all back to childhood. Back then fun wasn’t predicated on torque or horsepower. It was just about being little, getting out there and having fun! You’re It!
Honda Accord, Cog – best spot ever (automobiles aside)? This final ad is also just over a decade old but why stop now? It’d be criminal to ignore it. Consider the brilliant strategy: The Accord was marketed to customer who didn’t much care about performance, sex appeal or neighbour envy. They simply wanted a car that worked. (Steve Jobs built an empire on a similar audience.) A friend whose whole career is car advertising believes it’s the best commercial ever made, period. While ‘It’s Patrick. He’s bought life insurance!’ is a close contender, I tend to agree.
