Last year, I asked the same question and I think the answer was “no.”
Audi’s terrific A3 TDI commercial led the automotive pack, ranked 6th of 65 by USAToday but all the others were also-rans. Here’s how the automotive participants ranked in last year’s advertising beauty contest:
A dismal showing by the auto industry. Despite being one of the highest interest product categories with some often fantastic products, we seem to be unable to captivate the Super Bowl audience.
To be clear, getting highly ranked in USAToday’s poll has nothing to do with judging a TV commercial’s effectiveness, it simply is a measure of a panel of consumers’ reactions and “how much they liked each ad.” But it is without question, ‘the game within the game.’ As a Super Bowl advertiser you spend $3MM or so for 30 seconds and the chance to get noticed and liked. It’s an opportunity to get tongues around the world wagging about your ad, your brand and maybe even your products.
But to make that happen, you have to do something amazing. (more…)
I was speaking with a colleague the other day and we were trying to think of an instance where an automobile manufacturer (or any brand for that matter) looked back into its own history and re-introduced a brand tagline that had been thrown in the bin.
We couldn’t think of any and we began to talk about what a mistake that was. We were able to rattle off a number of instances, where great automotive brands walked away from positioning or taglines that perfectly encapsulated their brands. Mercedes-Benz left behind “Engineered like no other car in the world.” Volkswagen threw away “Drivers wanted.” Chevrolet moved away from “Heartbeat of America.” A few months ago, BMW, one of the most consistent marketers in the industry, looked as if they were moving away from “The Ultimate Driving Machine” in favor of “Joy.” In the case of BMW, this has been hotly denied and “TUDM” still appears at the end of the ads but it has certainly been demoted.
Why does this happen? Why does it seem so difficult for marketers to realize that they have a real asset that needs to be protected and nourished? A lot has to do with the constant pressure to increase volume and the find something new to “take the brand to the next level.” The other factor is the constant churn of marketing management and agencies. New marketing leadership needs to demonstrate that it is moving the business forward and that means doing something new. Every agency is genetically coded to do something “new and unexpected” to burnish their reputation. Bringing back an old idea can also be seen as a copout.
So it struck me this morning when I read an article in Advertising Age where Joel Ewanick was interviewed and he said that Fallon (Cadillac’s new agency) had developed the brand’s soon to be introduced tag-line: “The new standard of the world.”
Who should be embarrassed? The auto industry and their communications agencies.
If you haven’t had a chance to see the documentary “Art & Copy,” you must. Last night I saw it for the second time and enjoyed every minute. If you have worked in the advertising business or are responsible for advertising on the client side it is well worth seeing.
It’s a chance to see some of the most talented people in the agency business talk about what makes great communications. Hal Riney, Mary Lawrence, Jim Durfee, Lee Clow, George Lois, Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, Dan Wieden and others talk about what they think represents great work and what inspires it. They talk about great ideas: Braniff’s End of the plain plane, Apple’s 1984 and Think Different, Got Milk, Reagan’s re-election campaign, Nike’s Just Do It and VW’s Think Small among others.
At the end, these people and the work leave you inspired. You’re reminded that at its best, advertising can change opinion, entertain, move people emotionally and to action. Great work respects people and treats them decently. Great work can build brands, companies and value. Great work is really hard to create, get approved and execute, but when it all comes together, it can move mountains.
The sentimental favorites won the Super Bowl…at least the football game part.
Generally speaking I thought the advertising game within the game was just OK, not great. Within the automotive segment, six manufacturers stepped up for the Super Bowl:
As I said in an earlier post, the tough part about advertising in the Super Bowl is that while the football game is the primary draw, the advertising contest comes in a close second. As an advertiser you have to be willing to do work that will stand out and entertain because the very next day the “results” of the ad contest will be published in USAToday.
I always watch the Super Bowl hoping that one or more of the automobile manufacturers will break out of the category mold and amaze us. Here’s my take on the automotive commercials, from best to worst: (more…)
News that Penske has backed out of the deal to purchase Saturn will ripple through the industry in a myriad of ways. Detroit’s economy will be effected, thousands will lose their jobs, dealers and their employees are left scrambling. These are the serious consequences of the deal blowing up.
Less serious, but no less real, is the fact that another automotive brand will disappear. There was time when Saturn stood for something: “A different kind of car company.” The promise of no haggle pricing and a dealer experience that was customer focussed and positive. These attributes were foundation stones of a remarkable branding campaign:
These ideas and brilliant marketing created the essential ingredient of an automotive brand…brand advocates…..lots of them:
The following article first appeared in BusinessWeek’s “Brand New Day” blog on September 7, 2009
Volkswagen has announced that it is looking for a new advertising/communications partner. Chrysler has just announced that they are considering non-roster agencies for projects. Bob Lutz at GM has said that the agencies for the remaining GM brands have six months to demonstrate that they have the chops to remain part of GM’s stable of agencies. A rash of car companies re-evaluating their agency partners.
So what should these companies, or for that matter any automotive manufacturer, look for in an agency?
The next five years are going to be the most competitive in a generation. The “new normal” annual sales volume for the US will be 14-16MM units, nowhere near the 18MM the market achieved a few years ago, let alone the 20MM+ some forecasters anticipated. The “new normal” is a mature market where the fight for share will be intense, the risk of commoditization ever present and the winners will be those companies who recognize that the only thing standing between them and commodity status is terrific product and a carefully crafted brand reputation.
The “winners” will be those companies with clearly differentiated brands. Those companies that make establishing and/or nurturing their brands a priority will see their share of market grow, those who focus only on retail will be treated like commodities. Automobile manufacturers do need agencies that can manage the retail side of the business but more than ever they need to take brand building seriously.
So here are some suggestions on what to look for in an agency:
1.An agency must demonstrate the ability to build a brand over the long term. Look for relationships and case histories that span years not months. Look for strategic consistency that is grounded in a deep understanding of the client and its customers. Make sure that knowledge turns into core values that form the bedrock of the brand’s communications. Look for the “red thread” that holds all the work together. Ask 2nd and 3rd level questions about the company and its brand.
VW of America just announced that it is reviewing its advertising business currently with Crispin.
VW is truly one of the world’s most loved automotive brands. While there have been a number of clever and in some cases intrusive commercials from Crispin there has been little that has built or even sustained the VW brand.
Crispin is without question one of the most talented creative agencies in the country but while they did a wonderful job helping to create the Mini brand, they never succeeded in bringing that power to Volkswagen.
At times the work was startling, stopping you in your tracks:
