Car Ad Evolution, Part V: Right here, right now

So we have finally reached the end of the Car advertisement evolution. This very unsuccessful but highly entertaining (at least for me) series set out to educate the world in the art of car ads.
I chose this car ad from Saturn because it highlights the main trends affecting the car industry today: The high price of oil, the pressure to reduce pollution and safety. It is also a very emotional ad; but this ad is not using the "pleasure of driving" appeal, the ad reflects on the history of Saturn. It also dwells their desired to evolve; to move forward and to design cars that look pretty. No mention of quality control ( lemons everyone?)

exit note: Friday! You will have to excuse me, but my brain seems to have gone partying and I cannot concentrate. Let us all hope for the brain's safe return next Monday; freed from anything that might come back and make Tuesday a very, very complicated day. Have a great weekend.

Car Ad Evolution, Part IV: 1990's price equation

Car Ad Evolution, Part III: USA 1985

So far we have only looked at Korean cars. I was wondering what the Americans were up to those days. That is why I decided to include the 1985 Ford Tempo ad. It is interesting to see the similarities between the Korean and American ads. They both seem to emphasize the driving experience in different weathers. Both ads have shots of the car driving through a curve. It is also funny to see how little things have changed throughout time; the 1985 Ford Tempo comes with a "5 year Duraguard warranty at no extra cost!" American cars now come backed by the "best warranty ever", a 4 or 5 year powertrain warranty. The only twist in the 1985 Ford Tempo ad is that we have the voice of an expert. Jackie Stewart supports this car. He is a 3 times world champion driver. He must know a lot about cars. He is telling me that he likes the car; that it is "A real driver's car" Once again, this ad is appealing to a person's emotional side. The pleasure of driving (backed by Jackie Stewart)

Jackie also touches on quality, he says that he is impressed by the quality of the car. And well, since he was won a world championship race 3 times, he must have seen a lot of cars. Never mind the fact that Ford paid him to appear in the ad. No pressure there.

Car Ad Evolution, Part II: 1985

This is an ad for the 1985 Hyundai Pony Excel. The ad first shows the car's mechanical advantages, then moves on to show the new style and spacious interior. The last bit of the ad depicts a group of Hyundai Ponies running on the racing track. This is an emotional appeal directed at a driver's heart, it is the pleasure of driving a Pony.

Car Ad Evolution, Part I: 1974

Car advertisements have barely changed throughout the years. Technology has played a great role by allowing creative teams to design eye appealing imagery. But besides that, not very much has changed when it comes to car ads. They seem to emphasize safety, technical advantages and well, of course, the pleasure of driving. I decided to come up with a brief advertising timeline for car ads. Lets have a look at a 1974 Hyundai Pony commercial. I do not speak Korean, but I am assuming they are promoting safety in accidents since they are showing a crash test of their "latest" (in 1974) model. They also have a few seconds of the car driving in snow, which is probably promoting safety during winter driving conditions (but this is just my opinion).