Column: Advertising is sometimes a game of do’s and dont’s
When talking about advertising, there are many topics to cover, many interesting things that summed up, make the successfull advertising programme. So it is with automotive advertising, or maybe to be even bolder, we can say that automotive advertising may be the single most challenging form. You ask us why? Well it has all been seen before. The car is practically the same in all the automotive production manufacturers these days. They all have engines, wheels, quality suspension, quality interior and other. Ok we are probably making this to simple, there are differences between almost all of the cars, but they generally tend to be small and meaningfull in the general idea. But what if you compare for instance a BMW 3series with a Mercedes-Benz C class? What would make you, as the buyer think over these two cars and decided what to buy?
Meet the general automotive viral ad audience
Yes, this new column is mostly inspired by the relatively new advertisement viral ads published by several car companies in the last year. First it all started with „Meet the Beckers“, a funny advertising campaign by Audi, aimed at satirically describing some of the competition. It’s in the „Meet the Beckers“ that the out of the box BMW driver is described as a half assed lunatic, who only talks about his car, changes his women like underwear and describes his car as the „Ultimate driving machine“ every time he can. The Mercedes driver is pictured as an old man, with a brand new 20+ yearish old wife, who doesn’t know how to even operate all the electronical gizmos in his car. Don’t even get me started about the Lexus drivers, it’s to laughable to even talk about. We can go on and talk about that as a successfull commercial, at least in our opinion. Well if you can count out the thing that they really did not say anything about their product, only about the competition.
Getting into the wrong lane at the automotive advertising highway
But what’s up with the other car companies? The BMW’s response in the „Jump for joy“ for example. What is up with that? A family man, a corporate manager, a working class guy and a woman in her fifties may be the target audience for the BMW customers, but what is up with the jumping part? Why does BMW try so damn hard to be trendy? Do they need it? Not really. Yeah, we know the campaign is named „Jump for joy“ but nevertheless, what’s up with the whole idea that owning a BMW brings that many joys in your life?
Will a company executive (the target audience for the BMW 7series) jump for joy because he owns a 7series? Will a 23 year old football star jump for joy because he can impress the ladies at the local club with his brand new car? Will the 50 year old soccer mom be so pleased with her X5 that she will jump for joy when picking up her kids after practice sessions? We think not. The scene with the older black dude, with his tie and suit, driving into a car on his bicycle? Errrr … don’t get me wrong. But that’s pure nonsense really. It may be a good advertising campaign for Toyota, Mazda, Renault or Honda but it sure doesn’t fit in the BMW’s renome here. You can say that in layman’s term, it’s like trying to advertise a night club by showing a video of a married 50 year old couple having lunch at the countryside. It just doesn’t get the right information to the right audience.
Learning from your mistakes
Yeah there have been some mistakes for the couple of years, wrong messages, wrong ideas and generally wrongfully placed products. I can understand that car companies have to get even more imaginative when it comes to selling their cars through viral ads, but in the same time I cannot but think that companies like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Lexus and such need to be that far ahead. Yeah, the luxury segment with the Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Maserati and such surely don’t. But we can learn something from them.
What comes in attention to anyone when he sees a Ferrari for example? Or a Maserati? It’s speed, acceleration, design, awesome driving performance, great engine noises and such. Do they really need to advertise any of that? And in that line, do they need to bring any new funny ads that will better describe something that everyone already knows? We all remember the funny ad wars among Audi, Subaru, BMW and Bentley (that was made up, but it sure was funny). While others bickered and argued, the last message from Bentley could of easily be flipping the bird. Why you may ask? Anyone who even remotely knows what Bentley stands for will know it. That’s enough.
Getting people to buy products, it ain’t that hard?
While I might not get the new BMW or Audi because of their commercial, I might buy it for general information that you won’t get from „lame ass trendy wannabe“ ads we saw at every opportunity. I won’t buy it because I’ll jump for joy, or because a funny guy talks about it. Super hot girls won’t make me do that either, or anyone else for that matter. It’s a little harder to persuade someone that their product is so awesome that you just gotta buy it.
But if the ad shows an Audi A6 climbing the ski ramp at some ski resort, implying it’s Quattro potential, I may be interested. The fuel mileage I get with this car, shown in a funny and fashionably manner may do the trick. You’re looking for handling possibilities? The Maddona commercial may do the trick. You want extra cargo space? A rhino humping the back of a Renault Kangoo may get me interested, may get me laugh and may get me to thinking of the loading space and capacity for that car. You catch my drift now?
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