Jalopnik: Advertising

Honda's Musical Road To Be Paved Over

Mark Arnold — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT

This strip of road in Lancaster, California is one of only a handful of roads in the world that will "sing" as you drive over it. The music comes from the noise made by tires passing over a series of carefully cut groves in the road's surface. Now local residents want it all to be paved over, just because not everyone drives a Honda Civic at exactly the right speed.

Made by Honda as part of an upcoming advertising campaign, the road's incredibly out-of-tune rendition of "The William Tell Overture" (you might know it as the theme from The Lone Ranger) attracted tourists but annoyed locals to no end. Honda states that the road was tuned specifically to the tires and wheelbase of a Civic, so that may explain why it sounds so terrible in this video. We're thinking that the neighbors living about a half mile away and can't get to sleep at night from the racket really don't care to hear it at all. [CBS2, dailybreeze](Hat tip to Rene!)

1966: Ford Uses GM Building To Advertise Their Products, GM Chooses Not To Escalate

Murilee Martin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:40:00 EDT

It was mighty nice of Ford to wish GM a happy 100th birthday by strategic window-blind arrangement on their office building, but things weren't quite so friendly back in the days before the imports grabbed a huge slice of the car-sales pie. Back in '66, when the Mercury Division was gearing up to release the Cougar, they projected a huge Cougar ad… on the side of GM's Detroit headquarters! GM could have retaliated by using gasoline to burn a big Camaro ad into Henry Ford II's lawn, but they took the high road. Thanks to Mark for the tip. Image credit: CoolCats.net.

Volkswagen Knows How To Handle A Load

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:45:00 EDT

What It's Selling: Volkswagen Trucks

Where It's At: South America

What This Ad Literally Says: "Volkswagen Trucks. For every kind of load."

What This Ad Intends To Say: All of your consumer goods get delivered in a truck. We make trucks.

What This Ad Suggests: You need Volkswagen trucks like you need milk in your coffee.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Other than the unintentional innuendo with the mention of "load" and the creamy milk shot, it's a clean message and a sharp graphic. This is brand messaging, not intended to sell a particular vehicle but rather shore up awareness and positive feelings about VW trucks as a whole. Clever, clever. Another great one from the same series here

[Ads Of The World]

2009 Toyota Venza Website Goes Live With A Wide Stance

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:20:00 EDT

We heard last night Toyota began the opening salvo of the marketing campaign on the all new ~~Camry wagon~~ 2009 Toyota Venza with an elaborate flash-based website. The first phrase that pops up? "We gave it an extra wide stance." Hmm, wethinks perhaps given the mass media's reporting of certain alleged attempted Congressional dalliances in recent months, usage of that particular phrase strikes us as potentially ill-advised. Hilariously ill-advised, yes. But ill-advised nonetheless. Not that we're saying there's anything wrong with that. [Venza Minisite]

Aston Martin Turns Mom To MILF, Who Knew?

Travis Hudson — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Aston Martin decided to take a classy route with its latest print advertising campaign for the V8 Vantage. I've been known to be a connoisseur of all things mom, MILF and cougar-like, so I naturally give this advertisement a bold thumbs-up. But I have a feeling those parent-y types out there may have a problem with little Timmy being exposed to advertisements that so blatantly throw around the MILF acronym. Click below to see the advertisement in its full size.

I don't think this ad is entirely accurate. Most of us will agree that anything in a Aston Martin V8 Vantage turns them into a _ILF. [AdRants via Fleshbot (NSFW)]

Most Liked Ad: Hummer For The Win!

Matthew DeBord — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:15:26 EDT

Just prior to Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's New York Auto Show keynote speech this morning, some guy who works for ~~The Dark Lord of All Media~~ Rupert Murdoch conducted a none-too-brief awards ceremony for carmkers, their marketing muckety-mucks, and their ad agencies. IAG Research, an advertising-effectiveness-measuring outfit, handed out the hardware, an example of which is pictured at left.

The design is symbolic, but we forget what the symbols are, and we were so ~~cynically dismayed~~ utterly starstruck by Pentastar Bob that we forgot to write 'em down—something about angles and a magical orb that seduces customer into car loans.... It was all incredibly juicy. Hummer was among the winners in this competition for laurels among nationally aired TV spots.

Hummer, with creative supplied by Modernista!, won for "Most Liked Ad" ("Like, it was the the ad that those in the vast IAG survey most, um, liked, you know"). It was that one of Hummers engaged in all manner of video game awesomeness (watch it here.) Obviously, the award you wanna win, if you're the standard-issue low-self-esteem marketing big shot.

Subaru won the very special "Green" award. Lexus and Chevy won for Best Overall Luxury ad and Best Overall Non-Luxury ad, respectively. Toyota Tundra won for Most Effective ad, and Hyundai Veracruz won for Most Effective New Nameplate Launch.

It was all incredibly moving. And then Nardelli started dispatching the neologisms.

Microsoft Has A Vision For Automotive Electronics: Advertising

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST

It's no secret that cars are becoming more connected to the virtual world (as drivers are becoming dangerously divorced from the real one), and the price of all that connection isn't going to be absorbed by automakers or the companies responsible for providing the technology. The current model for in-car services like OnStar and XM/Sirius is based on the cell phone business plan, which can offer the technology at little or no cost to most consumers while charging for the service. Microsoft, for its part, is considering advertising as a possible income source.

As we all know, Microsoft Auto software underpins the popular Ford SYNC service, which combines the various in-car systems into one somewhat easy-to-use interface. What if they were able to use that system to advertise to you? How would they use it? According to Microsoft's Martin Thall, it looks as though the GPS is probably the best outlet. Imagine driving down the street and having the navigation screen display an ad for Starbucks with some sort of special incentive for pulling in to get a latte, like offering you a free Mp3.

This isn't a wild idea, in fact I wrote about locational advertising for UrbanCartography.com almost three years ago. This is much better than the current model for the provider because charging a monthly rate will, as with cell phones, allow competition to dictate a lower price or more service. There's also a finite, though large, number of customers.

As Google has already proven, there's almost an unlimited amount of advertising revenue to be gotten (if you don't believe me just google "mesothelioma"). As stewards of this technology, we imagine that companies will be responsible and limit the advertising so that it doesn't become ridiculous. Right.... right?

[CNet via The Truth About Cars]

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]

Garmin Superbowl Ad Pokes Fun at Short French Emperor

Travis Hudson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST

Garmin has been keeping really busy this week. The GPS giant has been dropping hints all over the place about its Super Bowl ad that surprisingly (or maybe not, if you're a marketer who's savvy with these interwebs) isn't debuting during the Super Bowl, but rather online. The ad has gone live and it's all right, I guess. I've never been one of the "watch the Super Bowl for the commercials" kind of people, mainly because I have a horrible gambling problem and usually have a vested interest in the game. I'm sorry. So very sorry. But this ad isn't too bad. Kind of cute, kind of funny. It stars Napoleon, the diminutive Corsican who dominated all Europe long ago in the pre-Garmin era (we have GPS, Napoleon had Eclaireurs-a-Cheval—scouts on horseback). This commercial is also one less thing that I'll have to pay attention to Sunday when I'm plump with beer and brats and squandering February's rent. Or winning big! Like I said, I have a problem. [Garmin Gameday]

Ford Focus Gutted, Stripped By An... Orchestra?

Travis Hudson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:15:00 EST

No chop shops involved here. As part of a UK advertising campaign, 21 different Ford Focus parts have been transformed into 31 musical instruments. The instruments—including a door harp, clutch guitar and bass repurposed from a fender—are played by professional orchestra musicians who don't mind getting up close and person with some of the Focus' bits and pieces. The commercial is the brainchild of composer Craig Richey and sound designer Bill Milbrodt and is set for a television debut on February 4. [WCF]

Toucan Sam Felled by Nutritionists

Mike Bumbeck — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:00:00 EDT

From the save us from ourselves department comes the news that the days of lovable cartoon characters hawking sugary cereal are numbered. Kellog's has recently come under pressure from advocacy groups who claim the products marketed towards kids contribute to obesity. Tony the Tiger and Dig 'Em are also facing execution. As our own formative years and eventual obsession with automobiles were shaped in large part by the likes of Gummy Rings, Clatterbad Clara, and the Coyote chasing the Road Runner in a dragster, we lament the coming of Global Warming Gus and Nutritional Nancy hawking kids cereal. – Mike Bumbeck

Kellogg's Cereal Characters Might Soon Get Axe [nbc5.com]

Related:
Plymouth Rapid Transit System Brochure [Internal]

Jalopnik Book Preview: Roland Barthes's "Mythologies"

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 19:12:43 EST

Back before Ruthless Reviews imploded and became the derivative mess it is today, we were pretty funny. The site was so freewheeling that we were going to start reviewing films we hadn't watched. We never did, but we should have. Now I'm advocating a book I haven't read, yet. I promise you that I will. Why? Well aside from being a Red at heart, who can resist a chapter about "The Sexual Politics of the Domestic?" Certainly not moi. Why do I mention Barthes's book on the fanboy site that exists in the form of jalopnik.com? Cause our favorite French post-structuralist (or is that semiotician?) tosses in a section about "Technocratic Icons of Modernization." Which is Ivory Tower shorthand for our favorite topic: cars. Specifically, one of our favorite cars, the Citroen DS. Jump for a little bit more.

Here's a few choice quotes from the second part of a University of Sunderland lecture on the Mythologies;

"In postwar France the car became the very symbol of modernity. This is reflected in a number of films of the period such as Lola (1960), La Belle Americaine (1961) and, more catastrophically, Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend (1967). The automobile industry was central to France's increasing industrialization with Renault's vast modern factory at Billancourt as its most visible reminder. This factory, incidentally, provided the setting for Claire Etcherelli's Elise ou la vraie vie (1967). In La nouvelle Citroen (Barthes: 1970 p.150-2) Barthes understands this perfectly and analyses the ways in which the car has become the very icon of France's modernization. He compares the car to a mediaeval cathedral: both are works produced by anonymous artists which enchant the masses."

Ooh, I wonder what hotshots like Bangle, Mays and Donckerwolke have to say about that last bit? The lecture (and Barthes) continues into advertising, like so;

"More than this, however, advertizing [sic] is responsible for promoting the 'myth' of free choice. In Saponides et detergents (Barthes: 1970 pp.38-40) he discusses the different advertising approaches to Omo and Persil. Their advertising promotes two different products with two different properties. In reality, these two products are almost the same and are both manufactured by the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilver."

We're pretty sure that not a single soul working at Ford, Lincoln or Mercury has ever even heard of Messiuer Barthes. [Sexy lady cowboy boots off to our brainy pal Vera for the tip] – Jonny Lieberman

[Roland Barthes: Mythologies (1957)]

Ad Watch: GM's Still Not Sold On FM -- Then Again, Now Again

Ray Wert — Thu, 11 May 2006 11:42:35 EDT

We were able to snag a copy of the new GM ad before it airs tonight on Survivor, and its a veritable orgy of self-love of the past. And we all know how excited GM gets when it talks about the past — they seem to drop trou at the mention of sock hops, AM radio and tailfins — but umm, does that mean the target audience for the second of two Everclear soundtrack-ed ads is the senior citizen demo? Because an ad reminiscing about the 50's and 60's aint gonna sell many cars to the kiddies. Those of us in the 18-35 age bracket barely remember "Born on the Fourth of July" — much less the actual Fourth of July, 1969. Well, at least this McCann Erickson ad tries to keep the kids happy by featuring the likes of Tiger Woods, Carmen Electra and Jeremy Piven to counter Marilyn Monroe and Frank Gorshin. Yeah, cause when we think Carmen Electra — we totally think of Marilyn Monroe.

More dead celebrities, this time from GM [AdFreak]
GM "Then Again Now Again" Commercial [YouTube]

Related:
Ad Watch: GM Listens To The "AM Radio" [internal]

Trail-Mix-a-Lot Marketing

Ray Wert — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:26:18 EDT

Who doesn't love trail mix (minus those prone to anaphylactic shock) and otherwise mixing it up on the trail? BBDO-Detroit hopes prospective buyers of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited are all over the outdoors like a mad squad of earwigs. The agency concocted a series of print ads to promote the new four-door Jeep that makes even us city dwellers want to pound a bag of GORP and hit the switchback. And we don't even like saying GORP.

(Hat Tip - Advertising/Design Goodness)

Related:
And Now Back to the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited [internal]

Oh Fudge! More Geely Humor Found in Translation

Ray Wert — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 15:59:52 EST

We thought nothing could top the poorly-translated Geely brochure we saw in Detroit, but we were wrong. We were treated to even more giggles when an enterprising reader (hat tip Farlane) uncovered Geely's website, which appears to have been translated using Babelfish with editing work provided by Ralphie and his Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Ring. Although almost all of it is golden, here are some of the more humorous translations...

On the Geely man-machine HQ(S-RV):

"It is belong to HQ family.Some body want lager space to put package when they go to travel.HQ(S-RV) will be your best choose,because it has a large space that ni can put more baggage."

On the sexually confused Geely MR(Sport):

"Its old name is "MS". Equipped with electronic fuel injection engine, MR Sedan has an innovative and decent design. Sheer-metal united auto body ensures the safety of passengers."

On the unfortunately-named Geely PU:

"The waistline is designed in such a clever way that it shaped a unique and sporty body. Delicate truck body fits with the streamline shape. All those show specialty of its design and multi-function characters."

But the award has to go to the Geely BL:

"Its old name is 'BO'"

Good thing they changed the name of that one. It's better, they even have an ad for the car-formerly-known-as-BL. Fortunately for them there's no speaking. Unfortunately for them the music appears to capture the sound of a Transformer farting at the end. Take a look:

Geely International Corporation Home Page [Geely International]

Iacocca Beloved by Old Folks

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 14:34:43 EDT

Ad Age recently took a survey regarding the return of Lee Iacocca to Chrysler ad spots. The verdict? Over 80% of customers who've seen the ads said Iacocca was "believable and relevant." The downside? Only a third of the coveted 18-24 demographic knew who the codger in the commercial with George Costanza was. Cripes, we're old. Oh, and in response to Lido's famous tagline from the '80s, "If you can find a better car, buy it," 80% of respondents thought they could indeed find a better car. Oh snap!

Lido's a hit; jury's still out on cars [Detroit News]