Car dealer's sexist ad has companion piece

On Tuesday, we wrote about all the hand-wringing that greeted a Canadian auto ad that compared women to used cars. "You know you're not the first. But do you really care?" the ad said, next to the image of a woman posing provocatively. The ad got ripped apart for being sexist. But it turns out the dealer, Dale Wurfel, ran a similar ad in the same Ontario paper the very next day with the same headline—this time featuring a man. Ah, the plot thickens. Men, it turns out, are a lot like used cars, too! Clearly, this complicates things, and makes it harder to moralize about the first execution (particularly since the second ad had clearly been produced before the scandal—not as a result of it). At the very least, it seems to level the playing field. Depending on your point of view, either we're all completely empowered, or we're all incorrigible sluts—or most likely, both! Of course, you'd need to run the ads side by side, rather than on successive days, to get this message of equality across most clearly. See both full ads after the jump. UPDATE: As mentioned in comments, the guy above does look kind of familiar.

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Filed under Automotive, Canada, Controversy
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Auto dealer's ad likens women to used cars

A Canadian car dealer isn't making many new female friends this week after running an ad suggesting his used vehicles are like women who've been around the block once or twice themselves. "You know you're not the first. But do you really care?" says Dale Wurfel's full-page ad in Ontario's London Free Press, showing a lady posing semi-provocatively. (See the full ad after the jump.) Sociological Images points out that the ad could be seen as progressive in its rejection of a sexual double standard—though of course it's a bit regressive in its likening of a woman to a pre-owned pile of junk you'll enjoy driving. This same concept has actually been tried before, in a (possibly spec) BMW ad from Greece, also posted after the jump. Via Work That Matters.

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Filed under Automotive, Canada, Controversy, Nudd
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Hyundai wows with stunning 3-D projection

Hyundai has been going for the jugular with its ads lately, attacking the Honda Civic, substandard legroom and sheepish car buyers. But this outdoor execution from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is really something else. It incorporates a real Hyundai Accent suspended on the side of a building as six HD projectors map a 3-D augmented-reality scene in which the Accent rides through a futuristic, computer-generated cityscape. It doesn't tell you much about the car, but boy is it sublime in size and scope. For more, see the making-of video after the jump.

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Filed under Asia, Augmented reality, Automotive, Cullers, Hyundai
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Weezer just can't stop writing songs for ads

As we already know, Weezer is no stranger to the shill. First, there was the Weezer Snuggie. Then the State Farm song. And now, an original tune for the IZOD IndyCar series that's being used to hype a mobile IndyCar app from Verizon. The clip, seen below, features some racing dignitaries and cheering fans in preppy polo shirts, along with the band members ripping through a ditty about grabbing life by the throat or some such. It's the 100-year anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, so maybe that accounts for the added musical firepower. Or maybe Weezer just does jingles now? No doubt they pay the bills. Rock on, guys.

Filed under Automotive, Music, Stanley, Weezer
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Cheesy car-dealer spot slyly pitches 'Cars 2'

This "Sale-A-Bration" spot for Cars 'N Deals of Emeryville is supposedly not an ad for a used-car dealer but a brilliant viral promo for Disney-Pixar's upcoming Cars 2, featuring various visual references to that film. It was directed by Chris Cantwell, who did last year's "Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear" spot for Toy Story 3. Well, slam on the brakes, because I say the spot is, in fact, exactly what it purports to be—an ad for a place that sells used cars! Check out slimy pitchman Stu: He's got a stuck-on moustache, likes to record his spiel on Watergate-era reel-to-reel audio tape, and dresses up in tiger suits. Seems like a genuine used-car dealer to me. Then there's the little futuristic robot that peeks out from beneath one of the clunkers. I mean, you can't visit a lot these days without tripping over one bot or another, am I right? As for the dude in the skin-tight ninja outfit who rises from a manhole and then dematerializes, well, I see him everywhere I go. He's in my kitchen right now making tea. Look, Lots-o-Huggin' Bear was branded a fake—but you can buy the stuffed animal! He's for real! My point: These days, "truth" is increasingly subjective, and even if it's not real yet, it will be soon. Now, excuse me while I go hit up Stu for a sweet deal on an '89 Capri. Or maybe a Lunar Rover.

Filed under Automotive, Disney, Gianatasio, Movies, Parody, Pixar
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Dodge loves car chases, appropriate or not

I think we can all agree with Dodge's premise, in the commercial below, that car chases make any movie better. Imagine how great The King's Speech would have been if George VI's Bentley had smashed through the gates of Buckingham Palace and exploded on the royal cricket pitch. A cool chase is shown in the Dodge spot, depicting the high-speed hijinks of some Merchant-Ivory type historical characters. It ties in with the movie Fast Five, the latest entry in the Fast and the Furious franchise. The commercial, from Wieden + Kennedy, isn't as revolutionary as Dodge's patriotic outing last year, but seeing a hammy "unscrubbed son of a blacksmith's apprentice" punch out a windshield to woo his beloved is worth it. Eagle-eyed YouTubers with too much time on their hands point out that in the final shot, the glass is magically intact again. Hey, many real action films have even worse continuity. Also, Dodge's invisible chimp delivers some Oscar-worthy work in this new spot. You can't see him, though—so you'll just have to trust me on that.

Filed under Automotive, Dodge, Gianatasio, Movies, Wieden + Kennedy
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Lecherous non-human pitching Ford Focus

Two of television's funniest Pauls—writer/director Paul Feig and comedian Paul F. Tompkins—have teamed up to create Ford's newest marketing icon: a lascivious "spokespuppet" named Doug. In a series of online videos, Doug (voiced by Tompkins) helps highlight the features of the 2012 Ford Focus while making inappropriate advances at every woman in sight. If the results are reminiscent of The Office, that's probably because Feig has directed more than a few episodes. Like most marketing Web videos, the clips are quite a bit longer than they need to be, but there are some real gems hidden among the product-description bullet points. Upon being told the Focus has double-French-stitched seats, Doug sagely points out that riding in single-stitch seats is like being "at the town dump, sitting on garbage cans." The campaign was created by Ford and its agency, Team Detroit. Check out the introductory spot below, and two of the initial Focus feature clips after the jump. Ford plans to post new weekly clips with Doug over the coming months. If the campaign is still going in May, I hope Doug drives out to Hollywood for a VIP premiere of Mel Gibson's comeback film, in which he's saved from suicide by a tough-talking puppet.

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Filed under Automotive, Ford, Griner, Team Detroit
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Is Hyundai itself doing a bit of propaganda?

"Do compact cars run on gas or propaganda?" That's the question posed by Hyundai in this month's Wired. The full-page ad gets even more confrontational in the body copy, chastising the auto industry for failing to improve the average fuel efficiency of compact cars since the 1980s. (See the full ad after the jump—one of four Elantra ads in the issue.) Calling out your industry is easy. But is Hyundai willing to call out its competitors directly? Yep. "The 2011 Honda Civic gets worse mileage than it did in 1980," the ad states. An attached chart shows the Civic getting 33 miles per gallon in 1980, and 29 mpg today. A subsequent page of the ad blitz says the Elantra gets a whopping 40 mpg. It's a great example of going on the offensive without getting overly catty. But is it true? Well, not really. The U.S. EPA says the automatic version of the Civic gets 36 mpg highway, with an overall average of 29 mpg. The automatic Elantra gets 40 mpg highway, 33 average. That means Hyundai, while more efficient, is being pretty apples-and-oranges by comparing 40 to 29. But hey, that's advertising. And at least they motivated me to do the research. Well played, Hyundai.

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Filed under Automotive, Griner, Hyundai
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Chrysler throws down an F-bomb on Twitter

Whoever was manning Chrysler's official Twitter account on Wednesday morning apparently sucked down too much #TigerBlood before work. "I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to fucking drive," the brand tweeted, much to the surprise of its nearly 8,000 followers. Turns out an employee from New Media Strategies sent out the R-rated tweet (having apparently just suffered through a difficult morning commute), and was promptly fired. Chrysler later apologized, saying: "Chrysler Group and its brands do not tolerate inappropriate language or behavior, and apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this communication." The profanity is one thing—but just as weird is how ludicrously at odds this tweet was with Chrysler's current brand messaging of celebrating Detroit, as seen in its Super Bowl spot with Eminem (who might have approved of the rogue message, actually). What do you think of this? Can any brand use profanity on Twitter—and if so, which brands and when? Via Jalopnik.
  UPDATE: Chrysler said Thursday that it has fired New Media Strategies (i.e., will not renew its contract when it's up), presumably because of this incident. Also, Chrysler has clarified on its blog that it did not request that the culpable NMS employee be fired—that was NMS's decision. But the automaker also makes it clear that the offending tweet was unacceptable. "Why were we so sensitive?" reads the post. "That commercial featuring the Chrysler 200, Eminem and the City of Detroit wasn't just an act of salesmanship. This company is committed to promoting Detroit and its hard-working people. The reaction to that commercial, the catchphrase 'imported from Detroit,' and the overall positive messages it sent has been volcanic. ... With so much goodwill built up over a very short time, we can’t afford to backslide now and jeopardize this progress."
  UPDATE 2: Pete Snyder, CEO of New Media Strategies, offers this statement: "New Media Strategies regrets this unfortunate incident. It certainly doesn't accurately reflect the overall high-quality work we have produced for Chrysler. We respect their decision and will work with them to ensure an effective transition of this business going forward."

Filed under Automotive, Chrysler, Controversy, Nudd, Social media, Twitter
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Test drive a Volkswagen ... inside a print ad

Volkswagen in Norway is offering what it claims is the world's first test drive inside a print ad. The ad, placed in several Norwegian magazines, presents a long stretch of road (there are summer and winter versions) and urges readers to download an app (developed by Mobiento) that lets you "drive" a car on the road by hovering your iPhone over it. You can test three different features of the vehicle—lane assist, adaptive lights and cruise control. Sure, it's not quite as immersive as a real test drive, but it's a nice idea executed well. All that's missing is a mini Darth Vader to pop up and deliver the tagline. Via Markus Lind on Twitter.

Filed under Automotive, Mobiento, Nudd, Volkswagen
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Nissan Juke: better than a swimsuit model?

TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, OMD, Nissan and Sports Illustrated have joined forces for "Model Search," in which eight swimsuit models are competing for a spot in the next SI swimsuit issue. Ads feature the models squaring off against a Nissan Juke (model vs. model) in a series of contests measuring traits like "curb appeal," "agility" and "aerodynamics." The concept is OK, and the dim-witted host is amusing, but they're trying to promote a lot of stuff here, so the effort feels a bit too unfocused. They should just put the cars in bikinis to simplify things. Three more ads after the jump.

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Filed under Automotive, Kiefaber, Magazines, Nissan, Sports Illustrated, TBWA
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Harley breaks cage in first crowdsourced ad

This should get picked over a bit more than your regular TV commercial. Harley-Davidson today breaks its first crowdsourced advertising since linking up with Victors & Spoils. The minute-long spot below, titled "No Cages," illustrates the customization options for Harley motorcycles by showing people who don't own Harleys moving around in cages in their everyday life. Whit Hiler, a Lexington, Ky., guy who owns an online T-shirt shop, hatched the idea. I have to say, I didn't know Harley had a NikeID-type bike builder. One quibble is that the commercial jarringly splices in the product info at the end. The real question is what this spot cost Harley. It's safe to assume it was a fraction of what it would have had to pay its former ad agency, Carmichael Lynch. Harley CMO Mark-Hans Richer is saying the spot "validates" its foray into crowdsourcing. What do you think?

Filed under Automotive, Crowdsourcing, Harley-Davidson, Morrissey, Victors & Spoils
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James Lipton helping Toyota pluralize Prius

Last we saw James Lipton, he was using his omnipotent beard to get teens to stop sending photos of their genitals to each other—one of the oddest PSA campaigns in recent memory. Now, the Inside the Actors Studio host is back in this fairly humorous video for Toyota, in which he chats with a down-market William Shakespeare about language, and eventually gets around to the issue at hand—i.e., what the plural of "Prius" should be. Toyota is putting a load of messaging behind this pluralization campaign, having first appealed to consumers to pick their favorite plural almost a month ago. The hilariously odd Lipton takes it to another level, though. Voting on the plural of Prius ends Feb. 20. Won't you, in Lipton's words, give it a ponder? Via Adrants.

Filed under Automotive, Celebrity endorsements, James Lipton, Nudd, Toyota
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VW's Vader ad: bloopers and deleted scenes

Because this story will never die, here's a little video of bloopers and deleted scenes from Deutsch's "The Force" spot for Volkswagen. Sure, many of the bloopers may have been staged, and it's all part of a well-planned scheme to exploit your inability to resist cuteness. Still, you have to watch, yes?

Also, after the jump, a making-of video about the "Black Beetle" spot.

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Filed under Automotive, Deutsch, Nudd, Super Bowl, Volkswagen
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Volkswagen's Mini Vader meets Darth Vader

The Max Page story continues, as the 6-year-old little Darth Vader from Deutsch's Volkswagen spot meets James Earl Jones, the real Darth Vader. Max to Jones: "What is thy bidding, my master?"

Filed under Automotive, Deutsch, Nudd, Star Wars, Volkswagen
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Dita Von Teese (surprise!) strips for Renault

Chalky-skinned burlesque queen Dita Von Teese, last spotted soaking her ample bosom in Perrier, expands her range in this U.K. "Va Va Voom" spot (from Publicis London) for the Renault Clio by playing ... oh, a peep-show stripper. Soccer legend Thierry Henry, no thespian himself, gets so aroused by Dita's perfect, pasty posterior that he makes a face like he's sucked on a lemon. Plus, there's footage of Audrey Hepburn and Rhianna, both of whom keep their pants on—I think. And we're treated to Marlon Brando mumbling, "I coulda been a contenda," and Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie warbling, "Ground control to Major Tom." The spot closes with a shot of the car hanging by its back bumper from a gallery ceiling. This quick-cut arty montage plays like someone (David Lynch on Percodan?) vomited our collective pop-culture nightmares on a screen. Which is to say: It's so self-consciously wacky, it's awesome. Work it, Dita! Rock on, David! Sell cars! Va va voom!

Filed under Automotive, Europe, Gianatasio, Publicis, Renault
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Battle of VW ads: 'The Force' vs. 'Milky Way'

The runaway success of Volkswagen's "The Force" spot from last night's Super Bowl got us thinking about the last truly phenomenal TV commercial from VW—the famed "Milky Way" spot from 1999, featuring Nick Drake's "Pink Moon." Comparisons may be odious, but we have to ask—which do you think is better? (They're completely different, I know, but just go with it.) Has Deutsch crafted something for the Passat that finally matches, or surpasses, what Arnold did for the Cabrio? See both spots (the 60-second versions) and vote below.

Filed under Arnold, Automotive, Deutsch, Nudd, Super Bowl, Volkswagen
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Volkswagen's kiddie Darth Vader unmasked

The first time we saw Darth Vader unmasked, it was kind of upsetting. This morning on Today, it was more palatable—as the 6-year-old star of Volkwagen's much-lauded "The Force" ad was introduced to the world. His name is Max Page. The Deutsch spot—probably the best commercial of the Super Bowl—was his first national ad. (He has done a lot of TV, though—he's known to soap fans for his recurring role as Reed Hellstrom on CBS's The Young and the Restless.) The best part: He's still never seen Star Wars because it looks "too scary." UPDATE: It turns out Max has a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot, and a pacemaker. His prognosis is good. This makes him even more Vader-like, if you think about it—he's part machine! You can't write this stuff.

Filed under Automotive, Deutsch, Nudd, Super Bowl
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5 car spots that sputtered at the Super Bowl

Before the nachos had even gone soggy at our Super Bowl party, AdFreak had declared 2011 "the Year of the Car." Volkswagen created the highest-ranked auto ad in Super Bowl history with "The Force," according to USA Today. Audi deserves high marks for its tremendously enjoyable "Release the Hounds." And Chrysler's Eminem spot earned raves from many viewers. But automakers also rolled out some of the most baffling and disliked spots of the night, highlighting the fact that some brands simply don't know what to do with their money and 30 seconds. After the jump, we recap five Super Bowl auto spots that missed the mark.

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Kia dazzles everyone, human and otherwise

Volkswagen recruited Darth Vader for the Super Bowl. Kia apparently got stuck with Jar Jar Binks. Well, it's not actually Jar Jar, but the alien sequence in David&Goliath's 60-second "One Epic Ride" spot for the Optima (below) has a definite Phantom Menace quality to it. That's only one segment of the ad, though. Others include a Bond homage and an appearance by Poseidon. The spot wraps with the Optima impressing the hell out of the Aztecs, who didn't even use wheeled vehicles in their day. A bit culturally insensitive, you say? Who's going to complain?

Filed under Automotive, David&Goliath, Kia, Nudd, Super Bowl
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Darth Vader set to lord over Super Bowl ads

In the old days, advertisers guarded their Super Bowl ads like state secrets. Nowadays, many want pre-game Internet buzz to stretch their big investment. Forecasts are dangerous, but it looks like Volkswagen has a hit on its hands with "The Force." The minute-long Deutsch/LA spot shows a child in a Darth Vader costume trying to use the Force to command objects around the house, from an implacable washing machine to a bored family dog. With "The Imperial March" playing, he eventually is able to use the Force on his dad's 2012 Volkswagen Passat, thanks to Pop using the remote car-start from the kitchen. It's pretty good. Guys will like it because it involves Star Wars, and it should get a 75 percent "Awww" reaction from the ladies. Thoughts?

Filed under Automotive, Deutsch, Morrissey, Star Wars, Super Bowl, Volkswagen
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Wieden gets unpredictable for Honda's Jazz

Car commercials can be desultory affairs, stuffed with specs and the inevitable shots of a car wending its way down a serpentine road in the mountains. You have to hand it to Wieden + Kennedy London for convincing Honda to break with tradition in many of its ads, such as "Grrr." For its latest European effort, introducing the Honda Jazz, Wieden and production shop Nexus crafted this lovely minute-long animated commercial (again with a Garrison Keillor voiceover), which shows life's unpredictability. The car doesn't appear until 54 seconds in. The coolest part of this effort could be the mobile component. Wieden has an iPhone application that lets viewers "capture" the animated characters by swiping at the screen while the commercial plays on TV. (The app does this by syncing with the commercial's sound.) Once on the phone, you can play with the characters, if you're into that kind of thing. I'm not sure how many people will have the app handy to swipe when the TV commercial comes on, but I'm sure we'll see more integrations of the standard TV spot and mobile interactivity.

Filed under Automotive, Europe, Honda, Morrissey, Wieden + Kennedy
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Alfa Romeo ads just will not leave you alone

Often it seems we can't escape advertising. That feeling is probably even stronger, though, when the ad is literally following you through the mall. Shoppers in Belgium got to experience this recently when ad agency Duval Guillaume came up with some remote-controlled ads for Alfa Romeo—and had them trail people through a shopping center. "There's no getting away from an offer this good," says the copy. See the video below for some footage. Presumably they included only people's more positive, smiley reactions. Surely at least one person turned around and put their foot through one of these damn things.

Filed under Alfa Romeo, Automotive, Duval Guillaume, Europe, Nudd
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Hyundai feeling sheepish about Super Bowl

Hyundai and agency Innocean will be running two spots in Super Bowl XLV for the redesigned 2012 Elantra. And they'll be trying to pull the wool over your eyes. The first ad, which will actually break this weekend during the AFC championship game, makes the point that people who buy boring cars are "sheep." And yes, it shows a sheep driving a car! (Perhaps it's taking its cues from corporate sibling Kia, which has been making hay—which I think sheep eat if they get hungry enough—with ads featuring hamsters.) The second ad, also for the Elantra, features kids outgrowing kiddy cars and car-themed beds, as well as an image of a fetus about to outgrow the womb. On-screen supers read: "Are we conditioned from childhood to be cramped in compact cars? Snap out of it." The sheep ad looks stronger to me to score high for recall and popularity in the big game, and the supers are certainly striking—perhaps overly so. What is striking, though, is the apparent lack of production costs. Sounds like stock music for both spots. Hand-held cameras. The biggest expense looks like sending the sheep to driving school. Second ad after the jump.

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Filed under Automotive, Hyundai, Innocean, Kiley, Super Bowl
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Mercedes holds Twitter race for Super Bowl

Mercedes-Benz, which is advertising on the Super Bowl this year, is hoping to drive engagement with something called the "Tweet Race to the Big Game." Beginning four days before the Feb. 6 game, four racing teams led by four celebrities (Serena Williams, Rev Run, Nick Swisher and Pete Wentz) will make their way to Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Tampa in specially equipped Mercedes vehicles, competing in a series of challenges along the way. The winner isn't who gets there first, but who gets the most points—determined in part by which team generates the most Twitter activity (what Mercedes is calling "Tweet Fuel") along the way. Actually, there's five celebrities, as @LenKendall, one of the Adweek 25, is on Swisher's team. The teams are competing for a pair of 2012 C Class Coupes, so the stakes are high. Mercedes ad chief Steve Cannon says, "We think the combination of our advertising and the Twitter Race will create the type of 'living' advertisement that engages people in new ways." Does it sound engaging to you?

Filed under Automotive, Kiley, Mercedes-Benz, Social media, Super Bowl, Twitter
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