Hasta La Creative!

When will Honda stop coming up with such catchy advertising? I swear, their commercials just keep getting better and better. Back in 2006, Honda released a commercial in which an entire choir comprised of people made noises that sounded like a car- or more specifically- what a Honda vehicle would sound like juxtaposed with clips of a Honda vehicle traveling the roadways. If you close your eyes, you cannot tell the difference; amazing. Those other car companies could stand to learn a thing or two from these guys.

Sure, there are dozens of ways to judge advertising as “good,” but it’s important to remember that good advertising needs to grab the attention of the target. GSD&M|idea city certainly kept that in mind with this spot introducing the BMW V8 M3 – my auto enthusiast friends (and not advertising/creative-minded folk) have been talking a lot about it – which I’d imagine is the most important goal for BMW.

After touring Europe and visiting the BMW M factory in Munich to study the engine, idea city folks figured out how to take three of the Belgium-build V8 engines and cram cameras, lenses and lighting into ‘em. Then after filming for four 20-hour days, they captured (at 10,000 fps) what happens in a single revolution inside of the 420hp beast of an engine. Without any CGI. It’s amazing that something like that still happens. But it’s incredible, and certainly creating a bit of buzz in the auto world.

Regardless of whether or not it’s a 100% accurate representation of the engine under full running load, it’s an impressive feat in terms of cinematographic execution and in not falling back on CGI. It definitely makes a powerful statement for BMW.

These days, simplicity is far from the norm, both in advertising and in life. A new product or campaign launch often contains an advergame or two, viral easter eggs, shot codes, fake viralesque videos, blogs, and on and on and on. We live in a world where multitasking is the norm and our brains are expected to do the filtering. That’s why it’s such a surprise when an ad is simple and makes a quick point without any hidden messages/games/web interaction/etc.
The print ad above, from RKCR Y&R in London for the Land Rover Defender is so simplistically perfect, it hurts. It’s not the greatest art direction ever and the copy isn’t earth-shattering, but it communicates a message well and quickly, without tumultuous effort. It can be done. And is worth remembering every now and then.

While the Toyota Corolla Superbowl ad received a fair bit of praise, I wasn’t entirely satisfied. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the new microsite for the car, dubbed “Corolla the X,” complete with an impressively elaborate crest. The site is a fairly bold yet unobtrusive mix of animation, audio, video, and games, managing to do a fairly impressive job at showcasing the features of the Corolla with some humor and without the usual buy-this-car spiel. The site even makes me appreciate the superbowl spot slightly more. My only big question (and maybe slight hesitation) is whether or not “Corolla the X” can really work. The Toyota Corolla has never been in the upper echelon of the automotive world. Can its image reflect it effectively? Will it be able to persuade buyers? Then again, it IS the Corolla… not exactly an unknown in the field.

I’m intrigued by what seems to be a recent trend in high-production automotive advertising. The number of commercials containing either an orchestra or a large group of people similarly dressed in a stereotypical factory worker or scientist get-up is fascinating. The newest spot continuing this trend is the Audi A4: Strings 1:30 spot by DDB Barcelona.

I could dig deep and analyze conceptual execution, soundrack choices, and overall production value, but what piques my interest is all of the people wearing lab coats. Who are they? Why are they this experienced at playing with string? And if they are Audi designers, is there any reason they’re all wearing matching lab coats? The only good answers I can come up in my head involve either the visual simplicity it creates or the pseudo-scientist-authority figures it yields. Either way, I still want to know how they got that skilled with string games.

I probably wouldn’t take much notice, but the Audi spot certainly isn’t the only recent advertisement to use the lab coat. The recent Problem Playground spot by W+K London for Honda has a plethora of scientists, construction workers, office execs, and other similarly dressed official-looking people taking part. Do they bring any authority to the message Honda is pushing? Or is it just some visual variety and I’m attempting to read too much into it? And then what of the Ford Focus Orchestra? Does having a musician play an emissions system of a Ford really make me any more likely to purchase a Ford? I’m by no means complaining. I think all the new spots are stellar in their own ways. I just find it interesting the direction that automotive advertising is going. We’ve definitely changed a bit since Joe Isuzu.

And for your viewing pleasure, I’ve embedded the “Problem Playground” and “Orchestra” spots after the jump.

As I recently viewed a new M-B commercial, I was reminded of this one that debuted about a year ago. I kind of liked this one better… so, I’ll discuss this SL History one I call “Timeless”.

This :60 spot featuring the convertible SL models over the decades successfully does more to celebrate the brand, position Mercedes-Benz as a premier, ritzy icon through the last half century than it does actually “Introducing the 5th Generation SL”. No matter…it works for me. I think most of us who dream of buying or leasing one of these 4-wheeled icons are actually purchasing the brand — both its history and its present.

Although I don’t think the execution of such an idea is all that challenging, I do think it was done well. The ad’s music is aspirational and not offensive to anyone… as it takes us for a ride from one decade to the next (in each of the 5 generation SL convertibles). We re-visit the people, the trends, the fashion (or lack there of), as we witness the timeless elegance of the M-B SL Convertible. The lines and balance of this car (regardless of which generation) never seem outdated — even today.

The car, the icon, and this ad make me agree with the partially tweaked tagline for Mercedes-Benz, “Timeless. Unlike any other.” Timeless, indeed.

Technorati Tags: mercedes, sl, tagline, commercial, beyond madison avenue

If you are one who believes capturing attention – and luring one to a special website – makes for a successful ad, then I think you’ll like this one from Hyundai. But, if you believe ads should directly help sell something and move people to want to purchase it NOW because of what they saw or heard, then this may not be your cup of tea.

I’ll try to explain…

I’ve watched this TV spot more than several times. It is odd and captivating…but, I’m not so sure it really sells the product (in this case, a brand and a car). But, it may move folks to type in Hyundai’s special, off-beat website ThinkAboutIt. And, I certainly have been thinking about it. And…I did do as the spot tells me, and checked out the website. So, I guess it worked on me. But, did it work for me and for Hyundai?

In all honesty, the spot engages me and makes me think a little — which is good. But, it doesn’t highlight the car well or tell me much — except the vehicle has a fine powertrain warranty (10 year/100,000 miles). So, am I more apt to go test drive and buy a Hyundai? I don’t know…probably not. But, it did make me go to its special website.

You tell me…is this a successful ad?

Technorati Tags: Hyundai. commercial, ThinkAboutIt.com, beyond madison avenue