Category: Ads

Really, purchasing a car is such a big investment that no consumer is going to buy a car just because of a single advertisement. I feel that car ads are there just to futher entrench a company’s brand and image into a consumer’s mind, and make sure that their name appears in their retrieval set.

And for this year’s Superbowl, it seemed like the best commercials came from auto companies, what with Volkswagen going all out and gaining a viral video with their Star Wars ad, The Force.

This ad was mostly there for entertainment, and perhaps to appeal to young families. However, what that ad really seemed to show is that Volkswagen is a company that is fresh, clever and innovative. If you were to look back at all their past commercials and initiatives (see Volkswagen Fun Theory), it is easy to tell that they have kept up a consistent image. This image is what consumers remember and makes them fall in love with a company. And it works! Volkswagen is one of my favourite car companies because of their humour, image, and integrity and I’m most likely going to purchase a car from them in the future because of that.
On a side note, I would also like to draw some attention towards another car advertisement that caught my attention:
The Chrysler Eminem Ad – Imported from Detroit

It did not gain as much attention as the Volkswagen ones, however this really stood out in my opinion among countless other commercials that tried to appeal to the mass with humor and entertainment. It was one of the few ads that went the emotional route, though I felt the addition of the gospel choir at the end was a tad overboard.

It was an ad that was targeted towards Americans, and specifically citizens from Detroit. The portrayal of Detroit appealed to their pride and nationalism, yet the imagery, copy (script) and sense of history made it powerful enough to affect those outside of the United States. I especially liked how the celebrity appearance (Eminem) was done in a tasteful manner, he only showed up briefly and was not used solely to gain celebrity endorsement.

All those elements make me want to watch the commercial for the 6th time this week.

Every once in a while I find something on Ads of the World that immediately appeals to me. How do people come up with ads like these? I feel like I would never be creative enough to be part of an advertising company.

[In any case, this Avis ad has given me the inspiration to do the same for future school reunions, provided that I’m not wealthy enough to purchase my own Porsche.]

I am clearly not the target market for this ad, given that most car rentals refuse to rent cars for individuals under the age of 21 and I do not have the income to justify renting a luxury car. However, I instinctively like companies that can create humourous or clever advertisements (marketing term: affective component of one’s attitude!).

A product speaks for itself, I can always go to a rental car website to compare rates and reviews. I don’t need a company to tell me why their product is better, I can always find out with research. For me, ads are a waste of space unless it can make me think wow, that’s a clever execution. This ad gives me the impression that Avis itself is fun and creative. And it makes me chuckle to myself. That is what differentiates Avis from all the other exactly-the-same rental companies in my head.

Now, when my family goes for our annual vacation and we need to rent a car, I will invariably link Avis as a lighthearted company and Budget as a normal rental dealer. We may still end up renting with Budget because of prices, but at least Avis has managed to create some sort of brand affinity with this easily-amused and easily-influenced student.