Jalopnik: Ads

Awwww, Brand Logos When They Were Babies

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:00:00 EDT

We know where brand logos come from and what they mean, but what did they look like when they were babies? Thanks to Brazilian ad agency Dentsu working for Minichamps, a die-cast scale model company, we now know what the toddler versions of logos from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar all look like. Wait — why is there a "baby" version of a trident? They don't make baby tridents do they? How many Zeus babies can there possibly be? That's like making a baby version of the Buick logo with cutesy shields. That doesn't make any sense.

[Lerr]

Flatulent Cows Less Classy Than These Unofficial Prius Ads

Travis Hudson — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:45:00 EST

I'll get this out of the way right off the bat: These advertisements are not associated in any way with Toyota, they were done by an artist with a sense of humor. With that being said, remember the farting cow Prius commercial? If you thought that was one classy piece of marketing, take a look at these print-style advertisements for the Prius that demonstrate how owning The Mightiest Hybrid of Them ALL compensates, in a way, for other lifestyle choices.

The message the ads are trying to get across is closer to the truth true than anything that would ever come out of a cow's ass in Fresno, CA. Prostitution? Murder? Adultery? It's A-OK, just as long as you drive a Prius! [Arab Aquarius via Winding Road]

Super Bowl Ad Watch: Hyundai Genesis Super Bowl Commercials Online; Halftime Show Still Live

Mark Arnold — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:30:00 EST

If you're not a football fan, you may have just lost one reason for watching the big game this Sunday night (unless you're going to be watching in anticipation of a Tom Petty wardrobe malfunction). That's right, we've got the highly anticipated Hyundai Genesis Super Bowl Ads right here, right now.

The Korean automaker's two new 30-sec spots take dead aim at German (rival?) automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz and a tiny little swipe at Lexus (also rival?). Smugly touting their new 375hp V8, Hyundai is obviously trying to appeal to a more demanding clientèle and taking a little bit of an understated approach to the whole glitz-and-glam we normally expect from big budget big game ads. We think there will be quite a few people second-guessing their luxo-badge-snobbery come Sunday. And hey, does it seem like Hyundai's finally picked a front grille for the Genesis?

Detroit Auto Show: BMW Hearts Diesel

Wes Siler — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:45:00 EST

Look what was wrapped around our complimentary Wall Street Journal at the Detroit Auto Show today: a love letter written by BMW to diesel. Full text and a big picture after the jump.

Diesel, it's not your fault

Many years ago, you were created with the best intentions.
The weight of the world's needs were put on you.
And you served a purpose - you got people from point A to point B.

But you were loud. You were smoky.
And let's face it, you stunk.

No one was able to harness your power.
No one was able to make you truly fuel-efficient.
No one was able to reduce your emissions.

Until now.

Introducing BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance.
Now you can go more than 500 miles on a single tank.
Now you can emit less CO2 than any other diesel in your class.
Now you're our most powerful, cleanest-burning six-cylinder diesel ever.

And now you're coming to America.
America's first diesel with a variable twin-turbo inline-six engine.
Finally, America will learn why over 60% of our sales in Europe are for diesel.

Diesel, welcome back.

You Will Risk Life And Limb For The BMW 1-Series

Ray Wert — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT

We just came across this commercial for the new BMW 1-series which seems to imply as soon as you see one of the little new coupes from Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, you'll care about nothing else. Apparently this includes walking on to a gleaming white assembly line and stealing one of the little buggers before it's even finished. Ha! A BMW assembly line without a finishing area at the end? As if.

2008 Chevy Malibu Ad Campaign Also Wants To Show You How To Rob A Bank

Ray Wert — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT

After first showing us the serious problem America has with blind joggers, the ad mavens for the General are now using the ad campaign for the new 2008 Chevy Malibu to show us the proper way to rob a bank. Apparently it has something to do with using a late 90's Oldsmobile as your getaway car — and — we're not really sure how that works.

2008 Chevy Malibu Ad Campaign Seeks To Get Joggers To Pay Attention To Cars

Ray Wert — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:12:06 EDT

We told you last week about the new Chevy Malibu ad campaign and now we've got the first ad. The new commercials for the all-new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu appear to be based on the premise that our nations' joggers seem to be having a problem — they're unable to see cars directly in front of their eyes. They're slamming into front quarter panels and doors. This must be stopped. Either we need joggers to stop jogging or we need car companies to start building sedans that aren't boring. Hmm — guess we'll need joggers to stop jogging.

The BMW 3-Series Is A Cult On Wheels, Makes For A Good Commercial

Ray Wert — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT

Yes, the BMW 3-Series is a religion to many — a part of pop culture, a subculture. Heck, it's like Joseph Stalin or Kennedy — it's a cult of personality. And it also makes for a killer car commercial. In a world of watered-down attempts at humor and silly jingles — this 3-Series commercial stands out. It's an ad that's does what ads about cars with a history should be doing — drawing upon that history and the positive emotions associated with it to use to sell the present day car by showing us the new version of the ride with a clear white background — a lack-of-color representing the endless possibilities of the future. Don't get us wrong, it's no Ferrari Shell ad, and it's no Michael Bay Chevy ad — but it does succeed where many recent commercials have failed — it made our pulses quicken and lean forward to pay closer attention. What more does an advertiser want?

Chinese Man Takes Car Commercial Too Far, Builds Transformer Out Of Citroen

Ray Wert — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:30:00 EDT

According to our gadget-obsessed brothers, a man in China spent $8,000 to build his very own Transformer out of a Citroen. We feel like we've seen this before — again and again and again. All we're hoping is it's lead-free. [UPDATE: Now we've got video!]
[via Gizmodo]

Audi Thinks Hot Women In Helicopters Will Chase You In The New A4

Ray Wert — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:15:00 EDT

Yes that's the new Audi A4 that even when jamming down a windy mountain road with a hot chick in a helicopter still looks as astonishingly un-different to the old Audi A4 as it did when it was just flashing its headlights at us. But whatever — you Audi fan-boys love the ~~same~~ new look — so you'll be cargasming all the way until the end of this ad anyway. Enjoy the pretty new LED headlights. [via World Car Fans]

Q: What Does Pontiac Have To Do With Halo 3?

Ray Wert — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:30:00 EDT

A: Absolutely nothing. Still, watch the marketing geniuses at Pontiac try to build excitement by taking an ad for Pontiac and slapping a Halo 3 ad to the end of it. Did we mention that one person will win the above Halo 3 - stickered Pontiac G6. Yeah, we wish we hadn't mentioned it either. [via Marketing Daily]

Top ten funniest and most brilliant bus ads. ...

Ray Wert — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:18:07 EDT

Top ten funniest and most brilliant bus ads. [InventorSpot via Digg]

Buy A Chevy Aveo, Get A Free Autobot

Ray Wert — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:45:00 EDT

Who knew the Transformers craziness for the General could last this long. They've got a promotion going on where if you buy a brand spankin' new Chevy Aveo, you'll get yourself a limited-edition transformin' Aveo that goes by the name of "Swerve." There's only going to be 2000 of them, so get your Aveo today to get your hands on one. If you think this promotion won't work, just check out the following comment from the boys over at Transformers fan forum-site Seibertron:

"Let's hope there is a way to get this that does not involve shelling out tons of money. Or those of us who are Transformers completists will also be driving brand new Aveo's shortly."

Just add 2000 more Aveos to the end of next month's sales numbers.

[Seibertron, eBay via Autoblog]