I featured a number of these last week, but here’s a full run-down of all the Super Bowl car ads shown during the big game in 2013.
Audi – “Prom”
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RAM and Jeep
After the “Imported from Detroit” ad of a few years ago and last year’s “Halftime in America”, Fiat’s American brands are pulling at the patriotic heartstrings once again.
This time, Jeep calls out to families of war veterans with “Whole Again”
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….. and RAM quite possibly steal the whole ad show with little more than a wonderful 1978 narrative and some nice images all tied up in a PowerPoint slideshow – “God Made a Farmer”
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Lincoln
It’s nice of Lincoln to give everyone a lesson in “Why Social Media is Good but Crowdsourcing 10 Million Dollar Superbowl Ads is Bad”
Lame. Stupid story, not even novelty value, and the actual car is reduced to being an extra.
#SteerTheScript
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Hyundai
The Korean powerhouse peppered coverage with 5 different ads. Pundits estimate that 30-seconds of Super Bowl adspace cost around $3.8 million. Add in production costs then consider the total figure in your head as you watch all of these.
Epic Playdate (Santa Fe) – I like this one a lot.
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Team (Santa Fe) – Not so much….
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Stuck (Sonata Turbo) – Hyundai invoke some old Saab ads about the benefits of turbocharging
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Excited (Genesis R-Spec) – Not quite. I never quite understand why companies take what’s supposed to be a pretty serious car and put hare-brained commentary with it. It deconstructs everything that might be trying to build into the Genesis brand, IMHO.
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Don’t Tell (Santa Fe) – Not much that’s quintessentially “Don’t Tell” about the Santa Fe. Good ad, really, but I don’t quite get the link.
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Kia
Hyundai’s little sister brand, Kia, also spent up big on production and airtime.
Space Babies (Sorento) – If your non-product-focused ad has an entertaining enough story, hopefully people will enjoy it enough to remember the ad AND remember your name, too. No guarantees, though.
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Hotbots (Forte) – Anyone who’s been to a motorshow press day will feel something for the ladies employed by companies to drape themselves over vehicles. (What that something is, is a matter for your and your priest, of course.) Most of these ‘booth professionals’ actually have excellent product knowledge but, like these ones, are ignored when it comes to automotive information. Payback time.
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Mercedes Benz
Soul (CLA) – After the extraordinarily stupid teaser ad (I don’t even want to link to it), Mercedes almost makes up for it with this vapid appeal to Gen Y. Yes, if you buy this car girls really will chase you across the street – and yes, I know it’s done in the name of humour but behind every bit of humour that’s fashioned this way is a reasonable dose of the truth, which Mercedes are preying on here.
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Toyota
Wish Granted (RAV4) – We covered this one the other day. Looks OK.
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Volkswagen
Get In, Get Happy (Beetle) – Believe it or not, this ad actually caused a minor storm last week here in Australia. That’s the reach of social media for ya. The complaint from someone was that this white guy speaking with a Jamaican accent was akin to someone doing a blackface routine. The media here in Australia love to brew a storm in a teacup at every opportunity and nothing brings out the flavour like a little political correctness. Stoopid.
The ad’s no inspiration, either.
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I don’t know which is my favourite, but I think I would take the “Epic playdate” from Hyundai.
On the negative side I’ll give a minus point to the Audi ad. Which father is so silly to give his son the keys of an S6?
What’s with the change in page design?!?
I felt like giving the site a new coat of paint….
Me likey.
New theme looks great, much better than the plain white look you see on so many blogs.
I do not get the new slogan of the Audi ad. I never associated bravery and purchase of an Audi. Is this slogan used in Europe and maybe something gets lost in a translation to English?
In Germany they use the “Vorsprung durch Technik” claim. It means something like “Leading through technology”.
It is quite brave to give your son the keys of a 400+ hp car.
Lincoln. Poor pitiful Lincoln. A year from now we will look back and see it on the scrap heap like Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and the rest.
It would be a pity, because, if you get used to the front grille, the cars look quite good for an american car, at least better than Cadillac, Chrysler, Buick and the likes.
All that the Lincoln needs is a catchy name, a new front end and a good advertising campaign. Lincoln Zephyr was a great name and more imaginative than MKZ. Tone down the front a little bit and you have a classy American car. Probably the best looking American car because the rear and interior are fantastic.
When I was watching the Jeep ad, I got bored after 10 seconds. How about selling the vehicle instead of America or whatever it was about?
Next time I’ll go buy a car, I remember Space Babies and head directly to the KIA dealership. Or was it Hyundai space babies? Are people that shallow? I am sorry but I just don’t get the point of 90% of these ads. Especially the Audi ad.
Every year Audi always has an outrageously good Ad. Once there was the police barricade, then the prison escape. This year was just as good in this genre.
But my favorite for being funny was the KIA Sorento and remember it’s part of the Hyundai Group. The KIA Forte is such a perfect Blue and KIA wheels are so aesthetic the way the rims bleed into the tires.
I like the “don’t tell” one the most. It looks alive and asociates the car with a dynamic lifestyle. Something most people would very much like to introduce into their daily routine, but never actually come to it. Hyundai can hope they would at least come to their dealerships and buy their cars.
On the other end are the Jeep and Ram ads. The first one tries to sell pride for a handfull of bucks, which is pathetic- it’s like saying “Our cars are trash, but be a sport and buy one anyway. You’ll do it in the name of pride, won’t ya?” Quite sad. The second one is boring. I would probably change the chanell before figuring which car it was for.
Kia wins! Based on reaction—-their ad stands out. I think the only issue is that the product takes a far back seat to the story—-but I think people at least remember KIA—-even if they don’t remember Sorento. This is a big winner.