[s_pphilip]

millions are spent on car ads with the hope to raise acceptance among public.
car advertising is important in todays electronic age, TV ads help penetrate and also provide a brief peek into what is offered, and is integral to image propogation. they in turn translate into inquiries and get converted to market share. A good ad is light yet effective and touches human emotions and bring commercial success.
wonder which ads made most impact.
I liked the linea ad with the catchy 'coz im stunned at the side of u' song played in the background,
I think Honda makes brilliant ads both for the city and jazz, displaying the eco friendly approach and the versatility of their cars. they dont have to promote their features. so was the earlier octavia ad as a strong, safe family car.
I also like the safari ad, 'reclaim your life', makes you wanna buy the safari.
and the best coined jingle "india comes home in a Maruti" is so apt. I like the separate wagon R ad too as a car to suit multiple interests.
The i10 ad is effective and catchy, though stupid, and i must admitt Sharukh has a strong brand penetration combined with a great car.
I however dint like the punto ad, more of yuvraj and less of punto. Fiat should have used that ad money to make a better quality car. therz no need of yuvraj to promote punto if every one considers it brilliant. see honda they create simple ads with larger than life pictures and simple messages.
the new k series engine ads are direct and tasteless, but drives home the point.
the desire ad is nice. cute.
there are many other sedate unexciting ads like the santro's current one, or aveo's ad.
Im sure there are many who watch a car ad on Tv and go wow..thats bang on target, appealing to the masses. or crap.
write in your impressions on what you think are effective or ineffective ads, ads that have been succesfull in brand penetration and car acceptance. they are as important and interesting as the cars themselves and add to the overall car feel good factor.
Maybe public opinion can help ad agencies create presentable or attractive ads or ads that raise desirability. or just write in what could be an ideal ad to you. your thoughts.
could be thought provoking ads.

[Parm]

advertising your product through media is a powerful tool and in the age of showbiz, nothing sells like it!so i agree with the money well spent on advertising your product and making an awareness about what you product is all about!

[s_pphilip]

oh i am not in the ad industry but my love for cars anything that represents a car or its value makes me appreciate a good or take notice of a bad ad. I work in a BPO. I want people to come up with ads they liked or disliked while watching their fav shows.

[nitinchawla]

I think car ads, if made well, can be very effective. Not everybody would be net savvy to consult T-BHP or be knowledgeable enough to understand what is said in TV shows or written in Auto mags. Therefore, it is important to get the word 'out there' and TV ads can be a really effective medium.

Another impact that TV ads have (like with any other product) is to make you feel that you would do well owning a certain car. So, they can create a need when the need really does not exist. It may not always work in the advertisers favor though. Like in my case, I saw the Xylo ad which made me consider a MUV..and I ended up buying an Innova

[quickdraw]

I've worked quite a bit in the AD world (case in point the i10 ad being mentioned here) actually it all depends on the AD agency. Most of the agencies have good talent but one rules the roost O&M trust them to make anything likable. Case in point here again being the Vodafone Pug ad's, then the ZooZoo ad's and who can forget the brilliant Pulsarmania. Some manufacturers are just plain dumb and feel celebrities will sell cars PERIOD. Many good ad's gets shelved/cut horrendously short too. I wish I could show you the Ad we actually did for the i10 but it was edited/raped for the TV version. To show more of Shahrukh and less of the amazing storyline.

[s_pphilip]

quickdraw, nice to hear that you guys had an alternate ad for the i10, wonder how they settled for that ad with the bike guy chasing sharukh, what was that supposed to mean for the car. That yamaha can beat hell of i10, rather show what its capable of, than some whimsical, fancy ad.
as you said, i guess some stupid ads get away with due to the agency.
The scorpio ad to is downright stupid with a helicopter and stunting crew but little effect and purpose. how can someone imagine an ad as if james bond were to drive the scorpio, with skis and googles and jackets,
counter that with the impressive safari ad, that makes sense.
also fiat must have wasted a few crores on Yuvraj + punto ad with no special results, take the stablemate linea's ad, its soft and hits the right spot, right message sent - beauty appeals.
herz wishing for creative ads.

[quickdraw]

Mr s_pphilip infact I was there in the Bike v/s Car ad only. Not the one that was shot in the stadium with the chicks blaring and what not. The ad was supposed to be very different and what was edited and shown as quite different as well.

[McLaren Rulez]

For an informed buyer, nope. But to someone who's buying in a hurry, a good ad might convince them to plonk their money down.

[T_Girl]

Ads are certainly a powerful tool for convincing people but most of the times they are beguiling and are made to trick the masses. It is always the best to research and then buy your choice rather than blindly believing the ads.

[diabloo]

This thread needs a poll.

Do you like ads that:
1. Soothing to eyes & mind
2. Increase sales

[rohan_iitr]

I feel spending money on advertisements is not worth it, especially for cars.

Also, in my personal opinion, celebrity endorsements are a total waste of money, unless it is for a beauty product or a luxury product.

A good advertisement may create awareness for a new product, but cannot influence a buyer's decision.

In the car market, there are 2 types of customers :
1. Those who are knowledgeable, who do their own research and TDs and select the car which best suits their budget and requirements.
2. Those who know little about cars, who purchase the same car that "Pados ke Sharmaji" has purchased. (Their logic being - It must be a good car if Sharmaji has purchased it, he really knows about cars)

I don't think there is another type of car buyer who buys the car just because :
1. Shahrukh Khan is racing his hatchback with a superbike (i10)
2. Four cute chicks are singing/dancing around a hatchback (Indica)
3. Sprinter is running a marathon (Ritz)
4. Lady puts football in her T-shirt (to look pregnant) so that cop lets them go for overspeeding (Swift)
5. A happy couple throws a grand party on buying a first car (with the cost of the party exceeding the cost of the vehicle) (Santro)
6. Cricketer (known for hitting 6 sixes in an over) drives around the city slowly in a hatchback (Punto)
7. A man brings a cactus plant in a hatchback for his wife (Jazz)
8. Saif Ali Khan carries half of the football team in a hatchback (UVA)
9. A man giving lift to (and having an affair with) his wife (who is married, by the way). (Estilo)
10. A man tries to cool off his wife's anger by going on a long drive on a rainy day. (Alto)
11. A little girl becomes popular in school because her dad drives a sedan (Dzire)
12. Young guys and gals party inside a MUV, which apparently has killed the sedan market in the country (Xylo)

I have to admit that some advertisements just touch the right spot. Few that come to mind are:
1. Fiat Linea (stuck at the sight of you)
2. Tata Safari (reclaim your life)
3. MRF wanderer (cause i'm a wanderer)

OK, I'm fully padded up now and ready for the brickbats from people in the Ad industry.

Rohan,
Bangalore

[varun83]

Definitely Advertisments are a real good way to keep reminding the different aspects related to your brand and car. Advertisments in mass media will only put your brands (Maruti had a lovely adv for their Service Network) or products (cars) in the possible consumers mind. Just blindly splurging without making a connect with the segment you are targeting will surely not help in conversion to a sale.
And yeah whenever a campaign is launched the company needs to make sure all marketing channels (dealers/distributors/salesmen/ financiers...etc) need to be aware and pass on the same unique message through their speech efforts and behavior.

[1968chensaro]

All advertisements are only for creating an awareness/familarise/curiosity about the product or shall we say to make you understand that this product is avaialble in the market. This is especially true as far as car ads go.

A car buyer will take the final decision about buying one based on any one of the following:

1. If he knows thoroughly about automobiles, he will research himself and decide which car will suit him.

2. All others, will take the advise of near and dear ones whom they think is a good advisor. This can be a friend/neighbour or even a shrewd sales man.

Hence ads are only for awakening the curiosity

[arin_12]

I feel that this Brand Ambassador should be removed from the Advertisement and could be done with just some kind of low budget Model (Gajani Movie.)
A sensitive add can make more sense than a this BA. For ex: LINEA, SAFARI... Spend this same amount to the vehicle rather paying to this people.
Some time this Brand Ambassador can also dupe the Brand. Like Dhoni in Pepsi Ad. (Enna Ra Raskel, Mind it)

[shankar.balan]

nice one rohan

why not add the foll (old and new ads):
- foolish man in wannabe hyped up car does handbrake turn and tries to face off speeding truck - SX4
- all you see are a series of bright lights in a zany computerized sort of hi tech setting - I 20
- the over-exposed pop and off-spring duo try a wacky convincing job on an even wackier concept - Versa
- idiot man in SUV skids to a halt in Snow and tries to putt a golf ball with a completely un-suitable golf club (he ought to have used a putter, the idiot) - Scorpio Refresh
- car buzzing around in one of those spiral dizzy multi storey car park type things to the accompaniment of highly overdone operatic Music - Ritz
- car just buzzing around to the accompaniment of highly overdone operatic music - Tata Indica Vista
- two school kids making funny noises going over rumble strip speed breakers - Opel
============================
cheers

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I feel spending money on advertisements is not worth it, especially for cars.

Also, in my personal opinion, celebrity endorsements are a total waste of money, unless it is for a beauty product or a luxury product.

A good advertisement may create awareness for a new product, but cannot influence a buyer's decision.

In the car market, there are 2 types of customers :
1. Those who are knowledgeable, who do their own research and TDs and select the car which best suits their budget and requirements.
2. Those who know little about cars, who purchase the same car that "Pados ke Sharmaji" has purchased. (Their logic being - It must be a good car if Sharmaji has purchased it, he really knows about cars)

I don't think there is another type of car buyer who buys the car just because :
1. Shahrukh Khan is racing his hatchback with a superbike (i10)
2. Four cute chicks are singing/dancing around a hatchback (Indica)
3. Sprinter is running a marathon (Ritz)
4. Lady puts football in her T-shirt (to look pregnant) so that cop lets them go for overspeeding (Swift)
5. A happy couple throws a grand party on buying a first car (with the cost of the party exceeding the cost of the vehicle) (Santro)
6. Cricketer (known for hitting 6 sixes in an over) drives around the city slowly in a hatchback (Punto)
7. A man brings a cactus plant in a hatchback for his wife (Jazz)
8. Saif Ali Khan carries half of the football team in a hatchback (UVA)
9. A man giving lift to (and having an affair with) his wife (who is married, by the way). (Estilo)
10. A man tries to cool off his wife's anger by going on a long drive on a rainy day. (Alto)
11. A little girl becomes popular in school because her dad drives a sedan (Dzire)
12. Young guys and gals party inside a MUV, which apparently has killed the sedan market in the country (Xylo)

I have to admit that some advertisements just touch the right spot. Few that come to mind are:
1. Fiat Linea (stuck at the sight of you)
2. Tata Safari (reclaim your life)
3. MRF wanderer (cause i'm a wanderer)

OK, I'm fully padded up now and ready for the brickbats from people in the Ad industry.

Rohan,
Bangalore