The Motz from Butz: Wind-slippery cars, but bumpy advertising
Advertising for automobile brands represents the impotence of today's advertising landscape. Creativity, wit, freshness, surprises and wow no longer exist. By Theophil Butz, graphic designer, advertising agency owner, inspirer and, for over a year and a half, also a mocker for Werbewoche readers. Please send any relevant information to [email protected]
Why is that? My theory is as follows: The automotive industry is no longer booming at the moment because it is suffering from a sales crisis in Europe. It's not just cars up to 50,000 francs that are looking more and more alike thanks to wind tunnel technology. So is the advertising that is being placed for them. There are only a few brands that still have a profile and a clear image. Or can someone explain to me the differences in the positioning of Dacia, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, etc.?
record? This lack of profile is not a sudden, short-term problem. The sins in communication through advertising began years ago. Not only are the individual brands and their models confusingly similar, the advertising messages are also interchangeable apart from the logo. In my opinion, massive advertising, poster and brochure campaigns go unnoticed by the target audience for a lot of money (see Werbewoche 3/2011, 3/2012, 6/2012, 19/2012).
When I try to remember TV commercials for car brands, the only thing that comes to mind is films produced at great expense and shown ad nauseam. Cars are pelted with paint. Another car drives through a strange tunnel made of wood and comes out on the other side as a horse and rider. Countless drummers beat, then there is silence and you see a car driving through the city. I remember all these and others - the one with the gecko is still well done. But not their brands.
I have fond memories of the VW Group brands with Audi over the last 15 years. Mercedes and possibly BMW as well. These brands are also the ones that are still posting record results. This certainly has to do with good advertising, which runs and runs and runs.
Even the journalists now only write about the latest Rolls Royce, the fastest Porsche and the most expensive Ferrari at the show time. But also about the XL1 from Volkswagen. Another image boost for VW.
My stand-up was the FCB.
