Marketing


REPORT: BMW using money saved from F1 pullout for more product placement

You wouldn't know it if you weren't a serious film buff or marketing exec, but Propaganda GEM is responsible for a big share of the products you see placed in films. The entertainment marketing agency represents such brands as Audi, Lamborghini, Nokia, Panasonic, Bang & Olufsen and Casio, to name just a few. And it has a new client: the BMW Group. Following such films as I, Robot and Iron Man, Propaganda has helped Audi significantly increase its profile in Hollywood. But the agency will be terminating its 13-year relationship with ... Read more →

Hyundai wins Advertising Age Marketer of the Year award Jonny Lieberman

Allow us to set the stage. The year was 2009, the month was February. The U.S. economy, which for months had been showing signs of springing a leak, was now fully flooding into five forward ...

VW chooses Deutsch LA as its new ad agency Jonathon Ramsey

Chrysler, Cadillac, and Chevrolet aren't the only folks looking for new advertising agencies on the assumption that, to quote GM CEO Fritz Henderson, "We can do better." For the last four years ...

VIDEO: This is Not Batmobile - It's the Spada Codatronca! Jonathon Ramsey

The Spada is coming! The Spada is coming! Along with this promotional video put together to get you ready for it. A combination of The Dark Knight, Speed Racer, and The Car, the Codatronca's still ...

VIDEO: Fun Theory Part 3 - VW's bottle bank arcade finds plenty of players Jonathon Ramsey

VW's Fun Theory project, with its European ad agency DDB, takes on a third task to show that you can get more people to do the right thing if you make it fun. This time it's bottle recycling, and ...

REPORT: One week after announcing GM departure, Mark LaNeve surfaces at Allstate 1 month ago on Autoblog

When word got out that Mark LaNeve (right) was leaving General Motors effective October 15, we weren't at all sure where the soon-to-be-former exec was heading. The Wall Street Journal has finally let the cat out of the bag, reporting that LaNeve is leaving the auto business for a marketing gig ...

Cadillac kicks current ad agency to the curb, seeking new suitors 1 month ago on Autoblog

It was three years ago that Cadillac switched to ad agency Modernista!, and one year leater it rolled out its "Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit." campaign. In a four-sentence statement put out by Cadillac General Manager Bryan Nesbitt, the brand is looking for a new agency and Modernista! "has ...

Honda updates Crosstour Facebook page with official response 2 months ago on Autoblog

Whoo boy! We would not want to be on the business end of the Honda whip this week. In case your head has been in the sand, Honda put up a Facebook page showing off their new Crosstour. General reaction was, to put it Orwellian terms, ungood. What's the problem with social media marketing if ...

VIDEO: Production Cadillac CTS Coupe breaks through in new 60-second spot 3 months ago on Autoblog

With the tagline "America, we have re-ignition," Cadillac is out to reintroduce itself to buyers. After bursting out of their underground bunker, the spot showcases all of the models in the line – and at least one to come. The ad has begun to hit the airwaves, and it features what appears ...

Analysts: Say hello to the new GM, same as the old GM [w/VIDEO] 3 months ago on Autoblog

Remember the old General Motors? Too many brands, too many models, advertising campaigns that petered out too soon, and multiple products competing for the same buyers. That's changed, officials from the new GM say, promising a leaner lineup of four brands and just 25 models by 2011. But ...

What is 230? GM knows, but isn't saying... 3 months ago on Autoblog

The graphic above has been appearing all over the place -- television, billboards, elevators, baseball games, even people's shirts. It has a blog, Flickr and Facebook pages, and a YouTube channel. What it doesn't have is an explanation. Ad Age lined up the perps behind the online assets and ...

Lutz lays out his strategy for GM advertising: "Memorable," "clever," "viral" [w/VIDEO] 4 months ago on Autoblog

So we knew that Bob Lutz didn't like the course General Motors commercials were taking – but no one knew what he did like. Now that he's back from vacation in the Caribbean, he's laid out what he has enjoyed: popular YouTube vids like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 lapping the 'Ring, the Kate ...

MINI bumper sticker makes fun of Cash for Clunkers 4 months ago on Autoblog

You've seen the license plate surrounds that read "My other car is an Enterprise Rent-a-car." Well, in a Cash-for-Clunkers age, what if your other car is headed to the scrap heap because you wanted to buy something friendlier? Then Mini has a bumper sticker for you. It's part of a marketing ...

REPORT: The Blake Project offers $100k worth of free brand consultancy to GM 4 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors is probably swimming in ideas and getting another thousand offers every day on how to turn the company around – there are fifteen pages of responses on the Tell Fritz site alone, and those are just the questions the GM CEO has answered. Add the company's recent advertising ...

Maserati, Architectural Digest celebrate best real and concept garages 4 months ago on Autoblog

Maserati makes beautiful cars. In a contest they held with Architectural Digest, the home of the trident went looking for the best homes for those cars -- not the actual houses, but the garages that house their creations. Entries came in two categories, Existing and Concept, and were judged on ...

VIDEO: Real stories of the highway patrol? 4 months ago on Autoblog

The scene opens with two highway patrol officers in combat on the side of the road. The skies are dark. An eagle screams. The men fight harder. This is for blood... or at least it looks like it. Follow the jump to see how it ends. [Source: YouTube] ...

Bob Lutz unhappy with new Buick campaign? 4 months ago on Autoblog

Looks like there could be too many cooks in the Buick PR kitchen, and the soup is looking worried. For the new GM to get on its feet, Buick has to find its feet. To do that, Buick has created a number of ad campaigns meant to showcase its new product and bring new, younger buyers to the brand. ...

Ad aims to put butts in seats Ad puts naked butts in Seat Altea 4 months ago on Autoblog

Seat wants to make sure that people in the U.K. don't equate a family car with being boring, and what better more Latin way to do it than by using happy naked people? The print campaign for the Seat Altea features two "parents" hopping out of their Seat and frolicking on their way to a skinny ...

Beijing mall builds its own Transformer out of VW Jetta 4 months ago on Autoblog

We know the Chinese love their Transformers – or perhaps it's just Bumblebee. To promote its new movie theater, a mall in China created its own Transformer out of a Volkswagen Jetta. The best part about the sculpture is that it hasn't been painted to look like Bumblebee, and it's been ...

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz E-Class commercial features malfunctioning car 4 months ago on Autoblog

The voiceover for Mercedes' "Ignite" commercial for the new E-Class starts with "It is, quite simply, the most advanced automobile we have every created." However, during the start-up sequence before that voiceover, the actual commercial begins with a warning light: when the driver turns the ...

FOLLOWUP: GM orders YouTube to remove "tasteless" gay Camaro promo video? 4 months ago on Autoblog

Yesterday, not long after we posted a story about a gay-centered General Motors marketing video for Chevrolet's new Camaro, the video was mysteriously pulled from YouTube. As it turns out, GM itself has copped to the disappearing act, as it reportedly ordered the popular video hosting site to ...

Ex-VP of marketing says GM is "so bureaucratic it stifles all passion and creativity" 5 months ago on Autoblog

Michael Jackson was hired by General Motors in 2000. In 2006, he was made the VP of marketing and advertising. Less than a year later, he retired. In a recent column in Automotive News, he wrote a commentary calling on the bankrupt automaker to "overhaul marketing," saying "GM needs passion and ...

Volvo's new Safe + Sound Coverage Plan covers everything but the kitchen sink 6 months ago on Autoblog

Lost in the bevy of numbers that is the Autoblog monthly sales report is the fact that Volvo just isn't selling very many cars in the U.S. any more. The Swedish automaker only sold 5577 units in May, and the downward trend started way before the automotive market hit the crapper. Given the sad ...

Crazy Kiwis: Buy a new Mitsubishi Triton, get a free goat with purchase 6 months ago on Autoblog

New Zealand Mitsubishi wants you to buy a Triton ute, and to lure you into doing it they're using goats -- because really, who can resist a goat? Said Mitsu's New Zealand sales and marketing manager, Peter Wilkins, "three years of drought has severely depleted sheep and beef populations, so what ...

Vintage Racing: Neil Ashmead GTS shiraz has a spot in our garage wine rack anytime 6 months ago on Autoblog

Fiat recently released a selection of branded wines for Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo, now it's the Aussies' turn. But whereas the Fiat wines were about marketing, the Elderton 2008 Grand Tourer Shiraz is a tribute to Neil Ashmead, Elderton wineries' late owner. The wife and sons of the vintner, ...

Electric female string quartet Bond creates mini-album for Peugeot [w/VIDEO] 6 months ago on Autoblog

To kick off the launch of the 308 CC, French carmaker Peugeot has enlisted the musical services of the high-heeled female string quartet Bond. Peugeot touts the car as "the only convertible in its class that is adaptable to every season" because of its Airwave Neck Heating System, à la ...

REPORT: Obama administration slashes Chrysler ad budget by 50% 6 months ago on Autoblog

Chrysler is nearly two weeks into its bankruptcy, and the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker is already getting an idea of just how engaged the Obama administration plans to be in the process. Chrysler planned to spend $134 million dollars on advertising during its supposed nine weeks of ...

AdAge provides a glimpse at how GM's financial crisis is affecting its marketing efforts 7 months ago on Autoblog

The "television upfront" is the term used when networks sell advertising time for the coming season's shows. An advertiser will commit to buying a particular amount of commercial time and then pay much closer to the show's airing in the fall. With everyone still unsure of whether GM and Chrysler ...

Ford named Official Truck and SUV of Yankees 7 months ago on Autoblog

Audi is the official luxury vehicle of the New York Yankees, Toyota said it's a sponsor but hasn't said how, and now Ford joins the cavalcade of motorized Yankee stadium financial backers by providing the official truck and SUV of the pinstriped boys. The deal is mostly for signage on the field and ...

VIDEO: Hyundai Assurance - We'll ~*^#ing do anything (NSFW language) 7 months ago on Autoblog

The Hyundai Assurance program has been one of the most clever – and arguably among the most successful – incentive programs in recent memory. Hyundai has experienced a sharp rise in retail share since the program was initiated, and Ford and GM were so impressed with the program that ...

REPORT: Ford looking for younger Mustang Sallys with new product lines 7 months ago on Autoblog

Ford has 45 years of Mustang domination under its belt, and the Dearborn, MI automaker wants to keep the streak alive by catering to every demographic from baby boomer motorheads to eight year-old girls. Sure, eight year-olds don't drive, but Ford wants to appeal to them with a new line of licensed ...

VIDEO: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class shows off cool tech 7 months ago on Autoblog

Mercedes has a new promotional video for the 2010 S Class that offers peeks at the model range and suite of tech coming on the latest luxury sedan: the S400 Hybrid and its energy monitoring system, S500 (the S550 in the U.S.), S600, Splitview COMAND screen, new headlamps, and LEDs everywhere. ...

Vauxhall unveils high-fashion accessories by Jonathan Kelsey 8 months ago on Autoblog

The folks charged with recasting perceptions of a brand aren't unlike home run hitters: a lot more misses than hits, but when they do hit it's often spectacular. This particular at-bat with Vauxhall, however, is probably a foul tip at best. The folks at the brand behind the griffin, whose logo ...

Audi becomes official luxury vehicle of the New York Yankees 8 months ago on Autoblog

It's official: after General Motors gave up its place in the batter's box, Audi has become "The official luxury vehicle of the New York Yankees." For you regular Yankee fans, not much will change, except seeing the Audi logo when you look up at the H&R Block Suite Level and happen upon Audi cars ...

REPORT: Saab, USA snag 500,000 players with Burn Notice online game 8 months ago on Autoblog

GM has been heavy in the entertainment sponsorship game, with a variety of scripted programs, award shows, and movies at some point being tied to GM product. Bumblebee has undoubtedly paid dividends for the new Camaro, and now the spy drama "Burn Notice," on USA Network, has done something of the ...

Don't Believe the Hype, America: Dealers urge GM to launch upbeat national ad campaign 8 months ago on Autoblog

With a daily torrent of difficult and unflattering news about the domestic auto industry flowing out of media outlets everywhere (Autoblog included), many General Motors dealers are crying out for a national advertising campaign to stem the tide of negativity. Critical dealers suggest that the ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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