Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Brilliant Marketing Ideas In History, Cars, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Daddyhood, Entertainment, Experience, Happiness, Insight, Marketing, Mum & Dad, Parents
I’m 46.
I’m a husband.
And a father.
I supposedly hold down a senior job at a highly respected company.
I have responsibilities … mortgages and a bunch of other things ‘older people’ should have.
And yet despite all that, when I saw this ad for Hot Wheels, I totally got what they were saying.
Oh Hot Wheels.
When I was a kid, they were the toy cars to have.
Matchbox made the practical but Hot Wheels made the sexy.
The daring.
The souped up.
The ‘fuck, that looks cool’.
Kids who were good at maths would play with Matchbox but kids who could play the guitar would have Hot Wheels.
I must admit, I am shocked at all this emotion coming out of me despite the fact I haven’t bought – or played with – a toy car for at least 36 years. And that’s why I love this ad so much, because in an instant – and without showing any product whatsoever – I get it.
I totally get it.
Given this ad appeared on a motorway, I am assuming Hot Wheels actually want to target people like me.
Their goal being to awaken my memories of their brilliant toy cars and introduce my kids to them.
It could be because a while back I read Hot Wheels was a billion dollar company under threat.
Not from other toy car competitors, but because parents didn’t know how to play toy cars with their children. Especially Mum’s with boys.
[Don’t call me sexist, this is what they said]
Whatever the truth is, this ad worked for me.
It not only reminded me how much I loved Hot Wheels, it made me want to play with them with Otis. Which all goes to show that while the features of a brand can be copied, it’s spirit and values are always unique.
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Poor Otis.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 15, 2017 @ 6:30 amMortgages. Plural. Wanker.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 15, 2017 @ 6:31 ambet he only said he had mortgages to make everyone hate him less for his trump property empire. didnt fucking work did it.
Comment by andy@cynic March 15, 2017 @ 6:51 amTrust me, there are monthly payments going out.
Comment by Rob March 15, 2017 @ 7:50 amEvery month for 10,000 years. [Or it feels that way]
“Kids who were good at maths would play with Matchbox but kids who could play the guitar would have Hot Wheels.” Now that is a brand statement.
Comment by George March 15, 2017 @ 6:37 amNo it’s his latest restatement of being crap at maths.
Comment by John March 15, 2017 @ 6:51 amNo mother in the history of motherhood has ever bought her son a model railway.
Comment by Ian Gee March 15, 2017 @ 6:42 amrosemary west?
Comment by andy@cynic March 15, 2017 @ 6:50 amI wish that hadn’t made me laugh.
Comment by Rob March 15, 2017 @ 7:51 amMe too. I feel a bit sick now
Comment by Ian Gee March 16, 2017 @ 11:00 amAll those comments that are really saying the same thing – you’re right.
Comment by Ciaran McCabe March 15, 2017 @ 7:19 amI loved Hot Wheels and the billboard did make me feel like a kid again. I’m not sure that is the smartest feeling when you’re driving a real car down a freeway.
Comment by Pete March 15, 2017 @ 7:29 amI like a good billboard.
Comment by Lee Hill March 15, 2017 @ 7:40 amMe too … when they’re done well, they can be awesome. And by well, I mean they haven’t just made the full page ad, bigger. Including the body copy.
Comment by Rob March 15, 2017 @ 7:51 amIt’s sad, but it takes balls to be simple. Mainly because the alternative – which many clients like – is to be simplistic, which ultimately treats the audience like imbeciles and no one wants to feel that way. After all, it’s how Trump got into power, despite the fact he didn’t have balls, he had lies.
Comment by Rob March 15, 2017 @ 7:49 amBalls to be simple. There’s a new Wiedenism if I ever heard one Robert.
Comment by George March 15, 2017 @ 8:38 ammatchbox were the british leyland of toy fucking cars.
Comment by andy@cynic March 15, 2017 @ 9:20 amWhich is funny given they made replicas of Mini Metro’s.
Comment by Rob March 15, 2017 @ 9:37 am