This Baby Is Out! - Nissan Rogue

I survived the exam and now I am back to real life. The only thing that is still the same is the hole in my pants; Yeah I am wearing those gray sweatpants again.
My romance with the Nissan Rogue grew even stronger when it debuted on national television as North America's favorite cheerleader's method of transportation in Heroes. Too bad the blond was dumb enough to have her car stolen. Coincidence? NO! I am sure this will play as a twist as the season progresses.
The first TV spot for the car is also out. Unfortunately, it does not include any of the scenes filmed in my neighborhood. This means that I will have to keep looking and you will have to keep reading.
Have a great day.

Drivers Just Want To Have Fun

I am in love with the new "Musical Chairs" Kia television ad. Here is a link to the ad, if you have not had seen it yet. Everyone is free to disagree with me, but I think this is a great ad. These are my reasons why:

- We all know about safety. We have been bombarded with ads emphasizing safety.

- We all have seen a car crashing into something and a dummy bouncing happily off an airbag.

- We have seen a car driving through a curve at a race car track.

- We are tired of the "We are family" Ford car ads. Who wants to be part of a family facing near bankruptcy, with quality issues and that needs to be replaced every three years?

The "Musical Chairs" Ad is relaxed. It takes driving off the road and takes it to the parking lot. It does a good job at showing the car in many angles and a great variety of colors. Furthermore, It also shows the handling of the vehicle in tight places, a parking lot, without having to emphasize it with a voice over. Best of all, It is also fun to watch! As Consumers, we are aware that cars come with safety devices and that tests are performed to measure and regulate the safety of a car when it is involved in a collision. These are all very important issues and I am not trying to ignore them. All I am trying to say is that it is time for drivers to have more fun.

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.

Update on the Nissan Rogue

Ever since that lovely afternoon when a film crew rolled into my neighborhood, I have developed a bond with Nissan's new SUV, the Rogue. The crew visiting my street was filming an ad for the Rogue and I was lucky to have a living room with a window facing the shoot. In an instant, a bond was created. I am excited to announce that, according to the Toronto Star, the Nissan Rogue will be replacing Nissan's Ugly Stick, oh sorry, I mean Nissan's X Trail (please see below for picture) It seems that we will be watching the Rogue's debut on TV sometime soon. I am definitely keeping an eye out for the commercial; and when it arrives, you will be sure to find an excellent ( and unbiased) review about this amazing new vehicle.

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).