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]

It's no newsflash that Jeeps are fun, and that's the new angle the brand is taking to move iron at a pace faster than crawling the Rubicon. Jeep's most recent figures show a 15-percent gain in June from last year, so it's not like they're sitting on their thumbs, but Jeep's been listening to feedback from their often-rabid owner base, and the new tag line will read thusly: "Have fun out there. Jeep." Previous advertising campaigns have pointed up the exclusive club you join by being a Jeeper. "There's Only One," and "Only In A Jeep" send the message that Jeeps can do things that no other vehicle can do (besides, perhaps, Land Rovers, Hummer H1s, maybe even a gingerly piloted H2.) We tend to agree that no other vehicle offers the capability of a Wrangler for the money, nor the vast and supportive owner and fan base. Never before has Jeep offered so many models at one time than now, with their seven different flavors. There's the format that started it all, in the form of the Wrangler, and the line has been fleshed out to include larger and more luxurious models as well as smaller entry-level Jeeps.

Gabe and his MINI minions were able to scrounge up the first two television spots advertising the forthcoming release of the Clubman, which live up to the funky brand image MINI has built for themselves. Much like the online teaser found on the MINI webpage, it doesn't divulge much, but at this point, we've seen so many spy shots, little is left to the imagination.

You can check both spots after the jump.

[Source: MotoringFile]

A while back, Men's-issue advocate Glenn Sacks was leading the call against Volvo shacking up with Arnold Worldwide. The contention centered around how men and fathers are portrayed in some of Arnold's work. At stake was $150 million in advertising dollars from the Swedish brand. The decision has been made, and despite the hue and cry, Boston-based Arnold won the contract away from incumbent EuroRSCG. It was actually a joint victory -- Arnold will be teaming up with London's Nitro as they move ahead with Volvo.

[Source: Volvo via Swedespeed]

While comparisons to the Accord and Camry may be more apt, Hyundai has their sights set on more upscale targets. The Korean company has been looking upmarket for vehicles to benchmark when developing their cars, and that philosophy will extend to marketing. One of the new spots touts the Sonata's horsepower advantage over the BMW 525i, while another concedes that even though the Azera can't self-park (a dubious feature, at best), it offers a well-equipped luxury sedan for less than half of an LS460's price, allowing you to pay someone to park your Azera.

It would seem that Hyundai makes a regular practice of looking over the heads of direct competitors, shooting for a segment above their actual market slot. Indeed, the Mercedes ML 'ute was a target when the new Santa Fe was being worked up, and at the Concept Genesis's recent debut during the New York Auto Show, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes were heard, while the existence of Honda or Toyota wasn't even acknowledged. The last Hyundai campaign we can even recall is the "Hyundai, Yes, Hyundai" effort of the early 1990s, when Hyundai's hottest offering was the Scoupe. They've come a long way from building Mitsubishi cast-offs, and Hyundai is now a force to be reckoned with.

[Source: Automotive News (Sub req'd)]

Jeep's hip-hop Bobblehead spots for the Compass have been taken out back and shot. Like the Compass they were shilling, the Bobblehead spots were only effective at being crappy. Of course, the replacement may not be any better. Surfing in from foreign markets is ad agency BBDO's "City Man." City Man is a jumble of street signs, gas pump nozzles and general urban detritus created by the swirl of wind from a passing Compass.

Read the rest after the jump.

[Source: Detroit News]

Honda's adding to the Super Bowl spot cacaphony this year, joining Toyota, GM, and Ford. Almost as important as the football, the commercials are often more entertaining than the game itself, and it's not unheard of for non-sports folks to actually tune in for the commercials. While there are often new and highly-amusing spots debuted during the big game, Honda's offerings have already aired. One of the spots depicts a CR-V dancing to a remix of Elvis's "Burnin' Love," while the other touts the company's fuel-efficiency by showing the Honda fleet slaloming around gas pumps. One cool thing about the Elvis spot is a shot of the nav screen, zoomed in on Graceland. Nice.The ads are scheduled to air during the fourth quarter of the game, we assume to cash in on the presumption that more viewers are watching the critical last minutes of the matchup. It's just too bad the ads aren't debuting during the Super Bowl - forget the game, our watercooler talk is going to be about the great new spots we saw, and since we've seen these already...

Follow the jump to get the jump on the spots

[Source: Honda]