Speaking of Mazda ads . . .
I loathed the kid whispering “zoom zoom” as if it were some kind of secret
1 Like
Car Safari ad
Have you ever heard a lion roar, I did, very impressive!
Wow copy and paste link without html nice! @cdaquila
1 Like
Not only car but nearly all modern commercials seem stupid by design. I am a member of the commercials I hate forum and recently commented that the agency with Subaru’s account are living large. Typically the AdTards have to come up with several ideas and pitch them to the customer hoping they will like at least one of them. I suspect Subaru only asks for any crappy commercial they can come up with as long as the theme is “LOVE”.
That was an old school effective commercial. With weight on the driven wheels VW Beetles were quite superior at that time in snow and mud.
Ads are pretty much wasted on me. After decades of exposure I have learned to tune them out unless it is something I could actually use.
1 Like
To many billions at stake.
1 Like
My current heavy irony car ad is VW’s “zero” as VW’s credibility following the emissions cheating is now zero on a good day.
The car ads that I currently loathe are the ubiquitous Chevy ads with (as the words on the bottom of the screen tell us) “real people, not actors”.
Yeah, sure…
These “real people” (who I’m sure were not given scripts to memorize 
) tell us things such as “you can NEVER go wrong with a Chevy truck”, and other debatable bits of opinion. They also show these “real people” new Chevys–sans nameplates or badges–and ask them to identify the make. We are told that a Malibu’s interior “looks JUST LIKE an Audi!!”, and other “real people” guess that they must surely be looking at a Lexus, due to the absolutely incredible luxury that they are experiencing.
They have taped one woman’s shrieking, astonished exclamation of “It’s a Chevy!”, and they play that in the background of several different Chevy commercials. That woman’s voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard, IMHO.
These “real people” are so ridiculously effusive with their praise of various new Chevys that I assume they had to change their undies after their… Chevy experience.
I think the commercials say a great deal about the buying public and the manufacturer’s opinion of them and it’s not very flattering.
3 Likes
Those are real people and they do not have a script. I am certain about this. I am equally certain that Chevrolet has dozens of recorded focus sessions that they choose a few seconds of video from to make their commercials. That way they can be completely honest about the focus group and get the copy they want.
1 Like
Wouldn’t it be great to see all the out takes.
1 Like
@sgtrock21, you don’t like Sesame Street? At first I couldn’t imagine where they came up with that zero song, then Sesame Street came to mind. It won’t work on me either, but the song is a little (very little) more palatable thinking about it as education for 4 year olds. Maybe it works on parents of 4 year olds.
I have found you can tell what kind of radio station you just tuned into by listening to the commercials during the commercial break. If it’s gentlemen’s clubs, motorcycle and beer ads, you are likely tuned into a rock station. If you hear gold dealers, over counter drug, and identity theft prevention services, you are tuned to a talk radio station. If you hear lawyer, payday loan, and car leasing ads, you are tuned to a Spanish language station.
1 Like
You’re probably right.
I can just imagine the screening questionnaires that they use to get the people for those focus groups:
Q: Are you knowledgeable about cars?
A: I know nothing about cars
Response: When can you get here for our focus group?
Q: Are you an extrovert who is given to outrageously inappropriate responses to visual stimuli?
A: Yes
Response: Please report for your focus group assignment tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM
Q: Can you readily distinguish between different makes of cars and between entry-level and luxury cars?
A: Yes
Response: We’re sorry, but we cannot use you for our focus group.
1 Like
And if you see mostly soap commercials, you’re probably watching a soap opera.
1 Like
in that case, none of us will ever be chosen to star in a Chevy commercial 
Yup!
I have been in 4 or 5 focus groups, so I do know a bit about the screening process, and if GM was seeking…extroverted rubes who have little or no idea about what they are evaluating…then I am confident that few if any of us would meet their screening criteria.
I could see myself in a GM focus group.
Q: "So? What do you know about vehicles?
A: “I know some manufacturers will hide defects such as faulty ignition switches for years that may kill the owner. So you have to wonder? What else are they hiding that they’re not telling you?”
I wouldn’t last long!
Tester
And, isn’t it amazing how those real people are, young, good looking, thin and trim and entirely clueless?
I watch the “oldies” channels, with great shows like Barney Miller, Mash, Johnny Carson, and Evening Shade. All the commercials on these channels are for Depends, meds, MRI providers, continence-problem devices, ED pills, hair replacement, back and joint braces, and endless commercials for tort lawyers. 
I must be getting old…
1 Like