I wrote about an old car ad recently, but I recently saw another one that reinforced how far that category of advertising has fallen over the years.
Look at it.
Ridiculous.
Noticeable.
Full of charm and character.
Pretty much sums up the 2CV.
When was the last time you saw a car ad like that?
Hell, when was the last time you saw any car ad that made you give a shit, fullstop?
Sure there’s Wieden’s – and one of my absolute faves – Born of Fire for Chrysler and BBH’s wonderful Audi Clowns … but they are the absolute exception in a World dominated with ‘aspirational lifestyle’ imagery, topped with a bland, meaningless version of Just Do It as an endline.
It’s so sad because cars offer so much more than status and lifestyle.
And yet, that seems to be all car manufacturers want to spout – which is weird for a whole host of reasons.
One is that the future of the category is under severe threat by a generation who not only favour other options, but are increasingly not even bothering to learn to drive.
Second is the World is waking up to the environmental damage cars do and yet the infrastructure for the alternative – electric vehicles – is still insanely poor.
Finally is the fact that companies are actively pushing to lower salaries and full-time staff while increasing zero hour contracts, so who the hell do they think will be able to afford the cars they make anyway?
All in all, the category is crying out for someone who will disrupt the industry.
From ownership to running costs to marketing and everything in-between.
There’s a couple of companies exploring the possibilities … Volvo in particular are being pragmatic in these spaces … but even that might not be enough when the car manufacturers talk to the same [old] people, in the same places, with the same premise.
The last time I saw a long term brand idea for a car manufacturer that genuinely injected freshness and authenticity into the category through their work was Crispin’s ‘Mini’ … and that was back in 2002!!!
So while I hate looking backward and think most of the industries problems are because they are obsessed with ‘progressing’ through the rear view mirror, where car ads are concerned, they might do themselves a favour if they chose reverse gear.