Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 12:07:54 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: video: Making of a Vanagon
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Oh man....................
that Brooke Shields ad is really lame.
What 'The Product' isn't even that clear to me, watching the ad. ( and design shape-wise.............VW would be wise to avoid the 'me too' common look of cars today, but they don't ..........they've fallen right into the 'modern roundy bubble-that-I-have-to-look-at-the-badge-on-the-car-to-tell-what it is thing. )
In the BS ad, I'm distracted by 'what is Brooke Shields doing, doing an ad like this ? Is that really her ? Is her career on the skids, or what?'.
And VW had the funnest cleverest cool ads for years.
There was even a great one about 10 years ago ..............
Two young types driving around in a Jetta or some VW hatchback.............with very cool hip music playing............they drop off an old sofa-type chair at a corner for a 'free stuff' contribution............drive around some more, and change their mind, and go pick it back up. No dialogue in the ad even. Just music, the car, and fun.
The Product.........the VW car plays it's part beautifully in that ad - it's sort of the 'container for all this fun youthfullness' ......I LOVE their spunky fun 'weird' ads,
but the Brooke Shields one..............fahgetaboutit !
Most fascinating .....advertising.
I really wonder if any current VW executives even KNOW about VW of America's clever advertising past ???
They might not it appears.
Do you think they even do research on how people perceive or respond to their ads ?
they must, but they might have the wrong demographhic too...........appears they are shooting for 'joe non-discript' or john and mary young family - which is understandale, ( young family if a fine demorgraphic to shoot for, for VW, I think ) but make it more fun wouldja !
scott
----- Original Message -----
From: Matt Drew
To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 11:45 PM
Subject: Re: video: Making of a Vanagon
VW could do that if they'd wake up a little.
Scott, you hit the nail on the head.
From the perspective of an advertising professional with a background in retail automotive, VW is REALLY missing the mark here, and the extent to which they have historically flagrantly under-served this key target demographic (especially when they have products that speak directly to them) honestly has always astonished me....
But at least now they have Brooke Shields spouting some nonsense about getting pregnant so that couples can justify the purchase of their new Dodge Caravan.
IMHO, of course . . . :o)
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