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What Makes an Effective Car Advertisement?

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FIAT 500X Commercial back to the future

The new FIAT 500X commercial references the popular “Back to the Future” franchise

The automotive industry is worth a staggering amount of money. In MarketWired.com’s 2011 report about the automotive manufacturing industry, it was estimated that the sector would be worth a phenomenal $1.7 trillion by the year 2015. This includes the manufacturing of trucks, passenger cars, and motorcycles.

A significant factor in this massive revenue are the ads released by the industry. Cars are not a frivolous purchase and most people do a huge amount of research and gather as much information as possible before buying. So the revenue of the industry highlights how effective these ads must be at showing off the benefits. But what is it exactly what makes these ads so good at selling?

 

What are the best car ads?

To understand why car ads are so good at selling, we have to look at the best car ads. Thankfully, we have one very recent example in the form of the new ad for the FIAT 500X. The video ad made it onto MarketingWeek.com’s best YouTube ads for September 2018 with its 1960s style, using Hollywood movies and the element of nostalgia to promote the experience that the car could offer, not just the hardware and design of the vehicle itself. There’s also an element of humor as one of the passengers refers to the car with its technological features as a “spacetime navigator.”

Other notable car ads include the “Woofwagen” ad by VW, which showed us a car from the perspective of a dog. Citroen’s Transformers-like Robodance also inspired people everywhere to “do the robot” when it debuted in 2008. The majority of the best car ads seem to focus on the emotions felt by prospective consumers over features.

 

Why the format of car ads matter as much as the content

It’s not just the content of these car ads that matters — the format (the way in which they’re delivered) matters too. For an ad like Citroen’s, with its upbeat music and its dancing vehicle, that ad was well suited for TV ads that ran during commercial breaks of shows where viewers were bored and wanted something to engage them.

However, the FIAT 500X ad may also work as a poster, as FIAT could use the typography and 1960s style to make some beautiful still images. GrowthSupermarket.com suggests there are many forms of display advertising including static images, GIFs, and even animated banners. It’s also not hard to see how VW would be able to create an adorable display ad with slobbering dogs, optimizing it and its placements to appeal to pet owners especially.

 

How can we expect car brands to advertise in the future?

Car brands may shift their ad strategies slightly in the future, moving from pure emotion to more informative ads. New electric car ads in California are adopting this strategy, raising awareness about new types of vehicles. Because electric cars are growing in popularity, we are going to see more marketing like this.

However, as the industry shifts, don’t expect ads to be any less effective. The automotive industry relies on them, so don’t assume the quality will change at all.

Ben Thomas

After graduating with a BSc in accounting and finance from University of Leeds, I decided to pursue my childhood love of motors and writing. Numbers, words and cars are my three great passions – passed down from my parents.