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Anyone who has watched any sporting event in the last few weeks has been subjected to a wrist-slitting Toyota commercial featuring a cover of "Saved By Zero" by The Fixx. While succeeding in it's desire to get you to remember the company's promise of 0% financing , you're not alone in feeling like you want to punch a flat-head screwdriver into your ear every time you hear it, as the numerous Facebook groups attacking the ad's simple, catchy and annoying jingle would attest. But maybe that's Toyota's secret plan. Toyota broke with recently established practice of infrequent commercial re-airs by running the ad so frequently it's completely unavoidable. According to Esquire 's count , it ran seven times during the Jets-Chiefs game, six times during the Steelers-Giants game and five times during the Pats-Broncos game on Monday. Why? Creativity 's Teressa Iezzi has a guess: "There are a few reasons that this spot has had a seemingly disproportionate...
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var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/comedy/EXCLUSIVE_BMW_Launches_1_Series_from_Germany_to_San_Fran'; "There's a fine line between genius, and insanity — and a hair brained scheme, and a revolutionary idea." posits this film, and we agree. As a result of our early discovery of the 2009 BMW 1-Series themed Rampenfest viral marketing campaign, we have been offered the exclusive rights to bring you the world wide documentary premier of "The Ramp". The thirty minute movie chronicles the men, the mission, and the madness of an attempt to launch the 1-series from Germany to America by way of ramp. And before you get to thinking, "Bah, that's not too hard," the attempt is not designed to simply go from the imaginary town of Oberpfaffelbachen, Germany to say, New York City. No, the car's intended target is San Francisco . So grab some popcorn and a comfy chair, sit back, and enjoy the frigtening naivete of physics terrifying Deutsche chompers...
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newVideoPlayer("rampfelen.flv", 463, 387,""); Taking a page out of its MINI playbook, BMW appears to be setting up some very clever guerrilla marketing to promote the 2009 BMW 1-series . Rather than shovel another recycled "look at the amazing precision of this new car" advertising campaign at us, BMW may be going in a different direction for the tossable new sports coupe and convertible. The story of this "viral" advertising begins with the video you see above, and we've done enough digging to figure out where it may be leading. Hit the jump to find out. galleryPost('rampenfest', 3, 'A Giant Fake Ramp Built in German Fake Place');galleryPost('bmw1seriesexterior', 3, 'BMW 1-Series Convertible'); The video is supposedly the work of an American videographer named Jeff Schultz. Jeff's Youtube account is suspiciously centered around this odd 454 meter tall ramp he happened to find in the a Bavarian hamlet named...
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newVideoPlayer("2008ChevyMalibuAd2_gawker.flv", 475, 356,""); Al Navarro is a co-founder of Mint Advertising , an independent advertising agency in New Jersey. He also drives a Caterham Superlight R , so don't front. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...Emerson said something like that. So hopefully, I'm entitled to an inconsistency once in a while. A change of heart. Because something like that has happened to me with regard to the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu commercials . Yes, those spots. When Jalopnik first posted the new Chevrolet Malibu spots, I gave a "HATE" rating to the one featuring a jogger , and a "NOT TERRIBLE" to the bank robbers version . Maybe it's because they are truly not good. Or maybe it's because I was having a bad week that week. Or maybe it's because I have hated the Malibu since, well, since they stopped making them like the one my Uncle Dan used to have. I find that when you hate a product...
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newVideoPlayer("BourneTouraeg2_gawker.flv", 475, 376,""); Al Navarro is a co-founder of Mint Advertising , an independent advertising agency in New Jersey. He also drives a Caterham Superlight R , so don't front. If I called a random American and asked them to name a famous advertising agency, chances are they couldn't. Or perhaps they'd say Sterling Cooper or some other fictionalized institution. It's just not how things work. While people sometimes remember and talk about ads and advertisers around the water cooler, the agencies who create the spots themselves hardly ever become household names. Unless of course, you live in a home where someone works in the business. But even in these households, some agencies have managed carve out reputations head and shoulders above the rest. One of the stars of recent years (and award shows) is Crispin Porter + Bogusky. You know them from the original US Mini (BMW) work. For VW's "Unpimp Mein Auto"...
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newVideoPlayer("FordEscapeHybrid_gawker.flv", 475, 376); Al Navarro is co-founder of Mint Advertising , an independent advertising agency in New Jersey. He also drives a Caterham Superlight R , so don't front. Over my career in advertising, I've had some great bosses and mentors. Many of whom have uttered truisms I still rattle off to co-workers and clients to this day. One of these phrases is "You can't bore people into doing something." Enter the above Ford spot from the Jalopnik Ad Watch tag. Want to know what I think? Hit the jump. Creative Challenge : As I mentioned in my Shell-Ferrari review , every piece of advertising has some challenge before it -- some job it has to do. Generally speaking, advertising is intended to make people aware of a brand, product, product attribute/benefit, or special savings on said product; or to make people want the product and perhaps even BUY IT NOW! Whatever it is -- it's something designed to move people forward...
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newVideoPlayer("ShellFerrari_gawker.flv", 475, 276); Al Navarro is a co-founder of Mint Advertising , an independent advertising agency in New Jersey. He also drives a Caterham Superlight R , so don't front. I apologize in advance that this first in a series is on the long side. I use the extra words to explain some things here and there, including the overall format I'd like these reviews to take. Future posts will be shorter. Regular Jalopnik readers should already know me from my trail of Caterham parts, or perhaps the infamous Slut Machine QOTD . But if you don't, my name is Al Navarro and I've been a commenter and occasional guest poster here since about May 2006. My day job is in advertising; I co-own a small agency in the middle of nowhere New Jersey. We do a little TV here and there and have a major auto parts distributor as a client, but no car makers or dealers on the roster right now. I have worked on car clients in the past, including some award-winning...
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