September...and the new car television advertisments

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I am I the only one on this website who feels that the "storybook" used by the advertising agencies in these advertisements are becoming more and more over-subtle and are beginning to lose any semblance of a realistic connectional thread to the product being advertised?....or am I living up to my reputation of having a lack of comprehending the use of any ethereal creativity...:roll:

 

[Buttsy]

I don't think it's just you Paul, one of the car ads leaves me thinking WTF!

 

[TheKnightWho]

When it comes to expensive objects like a car, or things of personal taste such as beer, you get ads like this because it's more about establishing them as a brand you'll remember rather than directly trying to make you buy them. It's so that when you actually are in a position where you're looking for a car, you'll be more likely to think of them/trust someone who makes them as a suggestion.

At least, that's my understanding of it from my limited exposure to advertising practices.

 

[Buttsy]

When it comes to expensive objects like a car, or things of personal taste such as beer, you get ads like this because it's more about establishing them as a brand you'll remember rather than directly trying to make you buy them. It's so that when you actually are in a position where you're looking for a car, you'll be more likely to think of them/trust someone who makes them as a suggestion.

At least, that's my understanding of it from my limited exposure to advertising practices.

It's a fair point, but with regard to the ad that gets me thinking WTF, I've no idea what they're selling!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It's so that when you actually are in a position where you're looking for a car, you'll be more likely to think of them/trust someone who makes them as a suggestion.

I have yet to see a single one of these new television advertisements that would make either my good lady wife or I "trust someone who makes them as a suggestion" (to use your own phrase) if there is neither rhyme nor reason in the storyline that has been portrayed.

My wife begs me to add the unconnected advertising campaign of a "sofa company" advertisement that has plagiarised the storyline previously used by a perfume company, where a tall slender model in a rather unusual open leg area long dress walks down a passageway ripping off her necklace and casting it aside with the beads scattering over the floor, then casting away her earrings, then striding along undoing a velcro fastening on the dress leaving her only wearing her high-heeled shoes...just to look at a sofa....hock:

My wife wishes to inform you that she will never "trust someone who makes this as a suggestion" to encourage her to follow that particular advertisment suggestion of "exotic walking" and disrobement...

 

[trevwilliams]

One reason that they appear to be so 'abstract' might be because they target certain ages or consumer types.

 

[TheKnightWho]

I have yet to see a single one of these new television advertisements that would make either my good lady wife or I "trust someone who makes them as a suggestion" (to use your own phrase) if there is neither rhyme nor reason in the storyline that has been portrayed.

My wife begs me to add the unconnected advertising campaign of a "sofa company" advertisement that has plagiarised the storyline previously used by a perfume company, where a tall slender model in a rather unusual open leg area long dress walks down a passageway ripping off her necklace and casting it aside with the beads scattering over the floor, then casting away her earrings, then striding along undoing a velcro fastening on the dress leaving her only wearing her high-heeled shoes...just to look at a sofa....hock:

My wife wishes to inform you that she will never "trust someone who makes this as a suggestion" to encourage her to follow that particular advertisment suggestion of "exotic walking" and disrobement...

It's more about getting the name into your subconscious than anything to do with you making a conscious and rational judgement, I think

I imagine you'll have forgotten the ad in question by the time you come around to actually buying a car (which is almost certainly something they bank on).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

One reason that they appear to be so 'abstract' might be because they target certain ages or consumer types.

Do those age groups or consumer types have their brains "wired differently" to others to be able to react to a subliminal advertising method ?

Both my wife and I have very high IQ levels, so intelligence cannot enter into the equation of message comprehension.

 

[Oswyntail]

What distinguishes one car from another anyway? Within class they all look similar, have similar performance, have the same gimmicks. As (I would guess) most car sales are "pre loved" anyway, advertising is not aimed at a purchaser. When I buy a car, even colour is not really relevant - my main criterion is whether I can fit my archery case in the boot.

 

[jon0844]

Ads to show a car being driven to Tesco probably don't look as good, although every now and then you do see some advertising agencies doing more 'honest' ads that ridicule the OTT ads we get.

I'd agree that the purpose of many ads isn't to sell any specific product, but to promote the brand. The premium marques like BMW and Mercedes don't just promote the car, but push the message that owning a car with either badge makes you look more successful. Just like an Apple ad or any other premium fashion brand.

The car is almost immaterial, or the 'halo' model that few people will buy - but you see the V8 supercharged model on TV and then go and buy the 1.6 eco diesel.

[off topic]Talking of which, Apple has an event at 6pm UK time to launch the new iPhone models. While not as slick as when Steve Jobs was alive, I have no doubt that its event will be just as much like an ad-cum-brainwashing session and it will go on to sell millions of models when hitting the streets in as soon as two weeks from now.[/off topic]

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I'd agree that the purpose of many ads isn't to sell any specific product, but to promote the brand. The premium marques like BMW and Mercedes don't just promote the car, but push the message that owning a car with either badge makes you look more successful. Just like an Apple ad or any other premium fashion brand. The car is almost immaterial, or the 'halo' model that few people will buy - but you see the V8 supercharged model on TV and then go and buy the 1.6 eco diesel.

If I had to choose a posting that would reflect the mental laziness that seems to have afflicted Britain since the end of the Second World War, the highlighted part of the quote above would be very much in the running for the short-list of five.

Has there been an insidious Government campaign over that 50 years to lower the thinking capacity of the populace that the advertising industry has seized upon to obtain the maximum benefit for its advertising campaigns with the least possible effort ?

 

[TheKnightWho]

If I had to choose a posting that would reflect the mental laziness that seems to have afflicted Britain since the end of the Second World War, the highlighted part of the quote above would be very much in the running for the short-list of five.

Has there been an insidious Government campaign over that 50 years to lower the thinking capacity of the populace that the advertising industry has seized upon to obtain the maximum benefit for its advertising campaigns with the least possible effort ?

I think we've always been susceptible to it, but advertising has become far more effective these days than it once was, due to extensive advances in psychology and sociology.

Mental laziness also seems more prevalent due to the wider extent of education since WW2, as well as the fact that it has become increasingly easier to make your voice heard in a public platform. Ill-educated idiots have always existed, but now it's much easier for them to get their voices out there.

 

[jon0844]

I think marketing people have become more clever as time goes on, and now they can directly communicate with the customer via social networks, it's even easier. They now know so much more about you - and know that you'll happily share their advertising with like minded friends.

Those who aren't interested no longer need to be cared about, so adverts can push more boundaries.

I don't think we're necessarily more dumb, just perhaps a bit more naive. We gladly want to get involved with the latest marketing campaign, without realise we're effectively working for them.

One trick I was told by someone at Apple was that when you have a new computer, you put it out and show three prices. The base model, the one that has the headline price in all the advertising. The middle model, and the top end model flagship with all the bells and whistles.

Despite going in having seen the 'from £nnn' price in advertising, almost everyone will buy the one in the middle. They don't want the basic one, and the top one is probably 'more than they need'.

Car companies must do the same with their entry level models with virtually nothing on them. It's to give the low initial price to get you in, before trading you up - but that doesn't mean trading up to the most expensive model.

In the case of the Focus RS that I bought in 2002, Ford had such a limited production run that they made a loss on every model. But of course, that was the demo car in the showroom that got everyone going 'wow' before buying a TDCi or Ghia/Zetec model. I can't imagine many CL models ever got sold!