What are they thinking?
If the automobile manufacturers want to know the real reason for their poor sales they need to look no further than the garbage they call commercials.
Every time I watch a sporting event I am inundated with a billion ads for cars/trucks/SUVs/MiniVans. Each one seems to be for the same vehicle, but alas a different brand pops up at the end. I guess the auto companies have got together and colluded on the designs and are just out to confuse us poor people out here.
The thing that gets me is the lack of realism in these commercials. It's bad enough that each class of vehicle (car, truck, SUV etc) looks almost identical to others in their class, and that each one is basically the same performance wise, but why are they all marketed as "Sports Cars"? It is hilarious to watch someone driving a Sedan, which is basically a car for a family, and trying to act like driving this car will give one the feel of being in the Daytona 500 or some such race. I realize they are trying to play on people's emotions and self image, but let's get real folks.
If these vehicles can easily do what the commercials say they do, why the disclaimers of "Professional Driver on Closed Track" or "Demonstration, do not Attempt" when making claims on the performance or capabilities of these vehicles? How about when they are just driving down an empty city street? Are they trying to say that unless you are a professional that the vehicle has difficulty handling driving in a normal situation?
Oh you mean you can't just zip around corners in this thing? You mean if I leave my truck /SUV on a beach and it gets caught in the tide and banged up against the rocks it won't come out undamaged? Why is the lady in one commercial shifting her automatic like it's a stick shift (and are her hands surely manly aren't they)?
Why can't I take my SUV through protected wild life areas or have it turned into a submarine if I drive into the ocean? Can I drive my SUV on the bottom of the ocean to view the coral reefs? It's what they are showing. Heck, that would be the only reason I would want that model.
Can I really pull a bus or 100 car freight train with my truck? They say no in their disclaimer, so why show it? Aren't they asking for trouble? I guess the general public are just brain dead selfish egomaniacs (like the lady who is mad because her minivan is cut off in the parking lot, then goes and gets a SUV and now she drives like a total idiot). One can reason that the increase in road rage, general lack of driving etiquette, and poor highway safety and can be attributed back to these ridiculous and preposterous advertisements.
And what's with the showing of starting prices, only to have small print come across the bottom of the screen saying that the model shown is at least $5-10,000 higher in price? I mean most of the time they are just showing the outside of the vehicle, so I guess if you want tires it will cost extra? No wonder people are disappointed and feeling used as they leave the new car lots in droves without buying!
Isn't that false advertising? I am surprised there aren't more lawsuits resulting from these ads. Where are the "Truth in Advertising" folks?
The real problem is that most cars within a certain class are basically all the same regardless of manufacturer. They all look similar, with minor differences in angles, as well as the tail lights and grill sections. So what can be possibly done to distinguish their products?
What I am talking about is line extension and showing the individuals how it works for them as well.
Well for one I would say save money on fancy sets etc. and concentrate on just reaching the people. Smart people buy after doing extensive research (consumer reports, talking to friends, test drives, etc.) We should be able to assume that the vehicle will be drivable and run on the road. So why waste money on exotic sets or locations? The average person will be using it to drive back and forth to work, run errands and other mundane tasks. I don't think many of us will be trying to drive off mountains or outracing other cars dropped from helicopters.
Show a couple of models, say an economy car, a sedan and an upscale sedan together. Talk about the quality of manufacturing and safety concerns, then introduce each model as a lifestyle choice. For example; "If you are just starting out try our Econo Model, for families our great Family Sedan, and once you have it made our classy Upscale Model." This way the seed is planted that the company is there for the individual's lifetime and is able to meet any and all changes in the individual's lifestyle. This way the company can build "Brand Loyalty", as long as they keep their promises and the vehicles don't turn out to be lemons. If that happens, well all the advertising in the world won't help will it?
So let's put some commonsense back into the process. Next time I look into my other passion, computers and the "brain-bleeding" advertising we get from those folks.
Until next time.
Mahalo.
