Autoblog

Offsetting the GX and LX opulence-filled 'Utes posessed of large mass, Lexus has trotted out an advertising blitz focusing on its Hybrid vehicles. The campaign, which imagines a world without "H," points out that Lexus has had hybrid cars and SUVs on the road since 2004. The new campaign is titled "the power of h" and features television spots, print spreads, and other media that depicts an environment where H has given up all other pursuits for a post in the Lexus Hybrid revolution. It's clever, and we're glad that Lexus didn't actually try to trademark one of the most commonly used letters. Oh, and the ads? Let's just say its interesting to see the medium of video transmogrified into an ersatz page of text. Teaser spots and press release after the jump.

[Source: Lexus]

The Catch-22 with advertising these days is that someone will undoubtedly be offended if your campaign is clever enough to be memorable. Ford of Canada came up with such an effort for the Escape, showing the CUV wearing a bumper sticker with the phrase "drive it like you stole it," and the tagline "Built for life in Manitoba." Innocuous enough, you say? Apparently not.

We can't say for sure if it's just people looking for things to get offended over, or if Canadians are just hypersensitive to Manitoba's reputation as a car theft hotspot. Either way, Ford has responded to the politically correct whining and pulled the ad while offering copious apologies. While car theft and traffic accidents are no laughing matter, especially when innocent people are tragically injured, you can't blame a car advertising campaign that uses an exceedingly common phrase for inducing an already rampant problem. We fail to see how people commiting criminal acts have anything to do with the automaker's sales efforts. Certainly, the message sent by the advertisement is that the Escape is tough enough for Canada, not that it's the car of choice for boosting. It'd be nice to see a company under unreasonable fire just offer up something like "whatevs, get a thicker skin." It's advertising, after all, not the cure for cancer. Of course, it would also have been easy enough to say "Drive it like you hate it" and send largely the same message.

Thanks for the tip, Richard!

[Source: CBC]

It's nice to be back in the swing of things. We're once again cranking out weekly podcasts, and #63 is a compact one. We start off salivating over the news that the next generation Suzuki Swift will be headed for US shores. We devolve from discussing an unsubstantiated rumor into wistful praise for the current can't have it Swift, and even make mention of Swifts from nigh on twenty years ago. The dustup over Alan Mulally's work of fiction at the New York Auto Show keynote draws our ire next. This one has it all, lies, grandstanding media with agendas, attacks, grandstanding media with agendas, misinformation, grandstanding media with agendas, disinformation, and finally, grandstanding media with agendas. Speaking of grandstanding, we nearly go as far as calling Lutz's bluff on the announcement that the hotly anticipated RWD cars from GM are on hold 'till regulators get their shizzle together. Whatevs. The entire GM turnaround is on hold? Not bloody likely. The consensus we come to is: Bad Lutz. So, turn on, tune in and peel out for our latest slice of podcast goodness.

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Call it a value-add of sorts. Perhaps Chevrolet is hoping that some of the goodwill towards Audi amongst enthusiasts will rub off on their HHR. Either that or someone was asleep at the switch. On page 2 of the February 5th issue of Automotive News, a new Chevy ad depicts a tribal-tattoo-patterned HHR. Above said retro-wagon happens to be a series of interlocking rings. While the rings don't appear to be Audi's actual logo, they're close enough.

We can't help but wonder why the photographer didn't flag this from the get-go, and as it went down the line, someone, somewhere, either with GM or its ad agency certainly should have noticed and considered it. No word on whether heads have rolled, but we're sure there was at least one stern talking-to upon discovery of this anomaly.

Thanks to tipster Christian.

[Source: German Car Blog]

Automakers spent $10.46 billion on advertising in 2005, a short step down from 2004 by .85 percent. Significant changes came in the shift from network television (down 15 percent) and magazine ads (down 4.5 percent) to internet advertising (up 16.9 percent, woo-hoo!) and cable spots (up 14.6 percent). Despite a drop in Ford Motor Company's advertising of 21.2 percent to $984.6 million, the company still led the automakers in ad spending in 2005, with General Motors not far behind with $876.6 million (down from 2004's $908.1 million). Bringing up the rear is Audi, which spent $101.4 million, an increase after 2004's $79.9 million.

[Source: Advertising Age via Automotive News]