The introductory ad for the 2013 Ford Mustang "Unleash Yours" was debuted during the Daytona 500 back in late February (and a day earlier on Google and Facebook.) It definitely gets the "checkered flag" and a victory lap, both for cleverness in execution, style and effectiveness. Check it out, below.
The ad nails it by understanding that Mustang is an aspirational brand that everyone has, at one time, wished it could own and envisions what THEIR car would look like if their wishes came true.
The ad features four people viewing the new car as a runs down a city street: a woman, a tatooed chef, a cyclist and a little girl. Each see the car in their own favorite colors, exemplified by the clothes their personal styles and clothes.
The girl, wearing a pink tutu, blows away stereotypes by envisioning something far more radical than a pretty little pink car one would assume she'd enjoy.
Since last Fall, Ford has played up the aspirational character of the brand with the Mustang Customizer, which tempts fans of the car with the tagline, "Deep down, you know you want to," and allows users to choose color, transmission type and other packages (which quickly add to the $22,000 base price, as it's tabulated below the car.)
Clearly, the customizer, which has been used by four million fans, and the video, which has had over a million views on YouTube, has struck a nerve, as has the car.
"We know that Mustang owners are incredibly passionate about their car," says Matt VanDyke, director of U.S. Marketing Communications for Ford. "Rather than just show features and benefits, our new ad demonstrates how people see the product as an extension of who they are. We believe that everyone has an inner Mustang just waiting to be unleashed.”
2013's Mustang iteration looks as classic and beautiful as it always has (except for a while there in the late 80s and early 90s, but let's not ruin a good discussion here.)
New for 2013 are some seriously bad-ass headlamps which powerful LEDs, and a slicker hood design that droops over the classically-refined grille. The tail lamps look like they belong on a Mustang, and the optional chrome rear section, which surrounds the badge, is quite impressive.
Showing posts with label Ad Watch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ad Watch. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Auto Styling News: AD WATCH - Fiat 500 Strikes Out with Confusing "Baby" Ad.
AD WATCH: Fiat 500
There's no question that the FIAT 500 is a cute car. But the advertising for this vehicle leaves me scratching my head.
The early 500 ads featuring Jennifer Lopez were perplexing enough - and they drew fire because she was actually filmed on a movie set while her "block" back in New York City was filmed separately (a common tactic, but it didn't translate well, and created a backlash and swamped the message of the ad when it premiered.) Still, the idea that this is a slick little women's car was drilled into the viewers of this nicely produced ad.
Then there's this recent one. Take a look.
Two guys are headed to the game. The driver of the 500 picks up his buddy, and his buddy's kid. "It was girls night out," he says, apologetically.
He and the baby are shown in the next shot being driven to the game, only to come up behind a (nice, sweet, classic, bitchin') late 1960s Chrysler Imperial driven by an old man. Slowly.
The baby stares down the old driver as they pull up beside it, and shouts in Italian "What are you lookin' at?" Problem #1: there is no translation , and I relied on others to give me that verbiage.
Problem #2: Is that really funny? Inasmuch as the well-known E*Trade baby is funny (and that joke has grown stale after, what, five Superbowls? The latest showed a baby "speed dating" other babies. Ew.)
The bigger problem for me is that the guy is emasculated by his wife, and the other guy drives a car aimed at a female demographic. In fact, the entire ad seems cleverly aimed at women, despite the two men. (The baby is the give-away.)
This ad follows on the heels of the FIAT 500 Abarth ad in which a rather stereotypical Italian woman (representing the car) sexually toys with a man and, in the end, slaps him. Note to FIAT: Men, like women, don't like to be slapped. Especially in public.
But this ad also suffers from other issues. There's so much going on in the ad, it's hard to focus on the car's features. The guy says (of the tickets to the sporting venue) "These are nice seats," but shouldn't he be focusing on the seats in the car? We do get glimpses of the vehicle, of course, and it's not an ugly car. The shifter gets a half-second close-up, and it's quite attractive, as is the speedometer, which is shown for the one second the car is slowing down behind the Chrysler. I'm sure the rest of the car is nice, too. We just don't get to see much of it in this confusing ad.
There's no question that the FIAT 500 is a cute car. But the advertising for this vehicle leaves me scratching my head.
The early 500 ads featuring Jennifer Lopez were perplexing enough - and they drew fire because she was actually filmed on a movie set while her "block" back in New York City was filmed separately (a common tactic, but it didn't translate well, and created a backlash and swamped the message of the ad when it premiered.) Still, the idea that this is a slick little women's car was drilled into the viewers of this nicely produced ad.
Then there's this recent one. Take a look.
Two guys are headed to the game. The driver of the 500 picks up his buddy, and his buddy's kid. "It was girls night out," he says, apologetically.
He and the baby are shown in the next shot being driven to the game, only to come up behind a (nice, sweet, classic, bitchin') late 1960s Chrysler Imperial driven by an old man. Slowly.
The baby stares down the old driver as they pull up beside it, and shouts in Italian "What are you lookin' at?" Problem #1: there is no translation , and I relied on others to give me that verbiage.
Problem #2: Is that really funny? Inasmuch as the well-known E*Trade baby is funny (and that joke has grown stale after, what, five Superbowls? The latest showed a baby "speed dating" other babies. Ew.)
The bigger problem for me is that the guy is emasculated by his wife, and the other guy drives a car aimed at a female demographic. In fact, the entire ad seems cleverly aimed at women, despite the two men. (The baby is the give-away.)
This ad follows on the heels of the FIAT 500 Abarth ad in which a rather stereotypical Italian woman (representing the car) sexually toys with a man and, in the end, slaps him. Note to FIAT: Men, like women, don't like to be slapped. Especially in public.
But this ad also suffers from other issues. There's so much going on in the ad, it's hard to focus on the car's features. The guy says (of the tickets to the sporting venue) "These are nice seats," but shouldn't he be focusing on the seats in the car? We do get glimpses of the vehicle, of course, and it's not an ugly car. The shifter gets a half-second close-up, and it's quite attractive, as is the speedometer, which is shown for the one second the car is slowing down behind the Chrysler. I'm sure the rest of the car is nice, too. We just don't get to see much of it in this confusing ad.
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