Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[New Buick "brand anthem" ad breaks during NCAA Final Four]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/02/new-buick-brand-anthem-ad-breaks-during-ncaa-final-four/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/02/new-buick-brand-anthem-ad-breaks-during-ncaa-final-four/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/02/new-buick-brand-anthem-ad-breaks-during-ncaa-final-four/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Buick
Buick "What Matters" TV spot - Click above to watch video after the jump

This weekend, Buick is introducing a new ad the company calls its "brand anthem." Car companies do this once in a while. It's almost always a 60-second TV spot meant to illustrate a new idea of what the brand represents.

In Buick's case, its new anthem, to paraphrase, is "luxury for regular folks." The actual message the ad carries is, "Your Kind of Luxury." Buick says this is not a permanent tagline or slogan, but that it is dropping "The New Class of World Class," which it's been using as a tag for more than a year. The brand will go without a consistent slogan in future.

Buick is the brand that, more than any other, is trying to tell the public that times have changed. "Quiet" luxury is in, the marketers say. Buick ad chief Craig Bierley says that Buick is going back to its image roots established in the 1950s and 60s. He describes Buick in those years as the perfect car for the doctor who made house calls. If the doc drove a Cadillac, he would be saying that his rates were to high, Bierley explained. If he drove a Chevy or Dodge, he wasn't successful enough. Buick conveys authority and taste without showing off.

Buick is a big sponsor of the NCAA Men' Basketball Tournament. In many ways, it's the perfect marketing vehicle for Buick, reaching young sports fans as well as the older ones who are watching their alma maters compete in the Final Four. If they have alma maters, they're college educated. If they're college educated, it figures they have money to spend.

Buick buyers' average age is in the low 60s, a nice drop from 70s, which it was in 2009.

Cadillac, the Buick marketers tell us, is for people who like to show off their success. Buick is for the successful person with a more understated lifestyle. In other words, Caddy is the brand for the college hoops stars who are going pro. Buick is for the people who buy the tickets. Check out the new spot after the jump.

[Source: Buick via YouTube]

Continue reading New Buick "brand anthem" ad breaks during NCAA Final Four

New Buick "brand anthem" ad breaks during NCAA Final Four originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4gadbuickregalturbotv commercialtv spotSat, 02 Apr 2011 18:07:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19899808/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/04/02/new-buick-brand-anthem-ad-breaks-during-ncaa-final-four/19899808/article-detail.xml 19899808 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/04/buickanthemad_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/04/buickanthemad.jpg <![CDATA[Video: Toyota recall apology blitz includes new mea-culpa TV spot]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/07/video-toyota-recall-apology-blitz-includes-new-mea-culpa-tv-spo/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/07/video-toyota-recall-apology-blitz-includes-new-mea-culpa-tv-spo/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/07/video-toyota-recall-apology-blitz-includes-new-mea-culpa-tv-spo/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Toyota "Commitment" ad - Click above to watch video

Recalls have left Toyota battered and bruised with a very damaged image that now needs rebuilding. Consumer trust is not easily earned. Toyota knows it, too. The automaker worked for decades to build an image that equated quality and reliability with the company name itself. Now under heavy fire over its handling of the problems that led to the floor mat and gas pedal recalls involving its most popular and important models, Toyota has embarked upon a PR blitz intended to convince frustrated customers and a skeptical media that everything's going to be all right.

Whether that's indeed the case will become evident over time. Sales numbers speak for themselves, and if the public isn't buying Toyota's explanation, they won't be buying its vehicles, either. In any case, it'll probably be years before the recall story's epilogue can honestly be written.

For now, Toyota's primary focus is on re-establishing itself as a business that's deserving of consumers' trust. That starts with saying "I'm sorry" as frequently and in as many different venues as possible. The latest part of Toyota's apology blitz comes in the form of a new TV spot called "Commitment." It's embedded after the jump for you to watch. The message is simple and delivered well: Toyota messed up big time, it knows it, and it's fully aware that the onus is on itself to win back customers' confidence.

If Toyota's smart, it'll air during the Super Bowl later this evening. But seeing it also leaves us wondering if Toyota had spent a fraction of its PR resources on getting out in front of these recall problems months ago instead of the damage control its writing checks for now, would it even be in this position today? Unfortunately for Toyota, we'll never know.

[Source: Toyota via Gaywheels]


Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.

Continue reading Video: Toyota recall apology blitz includes new mea-culpa TV spot

Video: Toyota recall apology blitz includes new mea-culpa TV spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>commitmentprtoyotatoyota recallToyotaRecalltv spotTvSpotSun, 07 Feb 2010 16:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19348122/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/02/07/video-toyota-recall-apology-blitz-includes-new-mea-culpa-tv-spo/19348122/article-detail.xml 19348122 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/toyotacomitment630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/toyotacomitment630.jpg <![CDATA[9/11 Silverado featured in Olympics commercial]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/9-11-silverado-featured-in-olympics-commercial/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/9-11-silverado-featured-in-olympics-commercial/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/9-11-silverado-featured-in-olympics-commercial/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


A tip of the cap is due to GM for the automaker's new Chevy Silverado TV spot, which premiered this Sunday during the Olympics. The spot features brief testimonials from drivers of high-mileage pickups wearing the bowtie badge, but one stands out more than the rest. Twenty seconds in, FDNY Firefighter Craig Monahan's segment opens with a wide shot of him standing in front of the Manhattan skyline. His battered truck has melted lights and a Ladder 5 placard affixed to the bed on the driver's side. In the spot, he recounts how the damaged truck started when he reached into the singed interior and turned the ignition key, saying that it served as an isnpiration, "If that truck could keep going, then we could all keep going."

This all happened on 9/11, a fact left unsaid but tactfully implied in the commercial. Veteran New York Daily News reporter Michael Daly knows Monahan and tells the truck's full story in an excellent piece that ran in Tuesday's Daily News. Frankly, you need to go there and just read the whole thing, because Daly's account is first-rate. Reading it also underscores the level of restraint GM exercised in how it used the truck in the commercial. It's a great TV spot, but the story behind that one particular 14-second segment is more remarkable and inspirational than you'd ever guess. Firefighter Monahan agreed to let his truck be used because he felt it was important for people see it and get a feel for what it represents. Monahan was compensated by GM for his participation, but he donated that money to another FDNY family, showing that even now, that burned and battered Chevy still helps him help others. We salute him, and we hope he keeps that truck forever. Thnks for the tip, Julius!

[Source: New York Daily News]

9/11 Silverado featured in Olympics commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>911craig monahanCraigMonahanladder 5Ladder5olympicssilveradotv spotTvSpotWed, 13 Aug 2008 08:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1282709/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/08/13/9-11-silverado-featured-in-olympics-commercial/1282709/article-detail.xml 1282709 <![CDATA[I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/04/i-want-my-fpv-super-sedans-hit-the-desert-in-new-tv-spot/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/04/i-want-my-fpv-super-sedans-hit-the-desert-in-new-tv-spot/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/04/i-want-my-fpv-super-sedans-hit-the-desert-in-new-tv-spot/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Click above for photo gallery. Follow the jump for the video.

Ford Performance Vehicles' new range of Ford FG Falcon-derived super sedans and utes is mind-bendingly appealing. Big turbocharged or NA power, bright colors, and that menacing Alice Cooper eye makeup in front make for an entire farmer's market of forbidden fruit. Sure, on this side of the world, Ford's SVT performance division gives us the Shelby GT500 and the even more monstrous Shelby GT500KR -- but seriously, as hot as the factory super-Stangs are, the lineup of FPV rides you see above is hot enough to turn that desert sand into glass. Only, they can't -- because everything you see there is virtual. Both the backdrop and the cars are CGI. The photo-realistic vehicle models were created using the real cars' CAD data for a brand new FPV TV spot that premieres in Australia this Sunday. If you don't live in Oz, no worries -- FPV sent us a copy of the spot, which is now embedded after the jump for your enjoyment. And you will enjoy it. Right now, there's a void in our lives shaped like an all-black FPV F6, and this commercial's as close as we're going to come to filling it.

Gallery: FPV's New TV Commercial


[Source: FPV]

Continue reading I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot

I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2008 FPV range2008FpvRangeaustraliabreakingfordfpvfpv f6fpv gtfpv tvfpv videoFpvF6FpvGtFpvTvFpvVideotv spotTvSpotFri, 04 Jul 2008 08:38:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1245538/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/07/04/i-want-my-fpv-super-sedans-hit-the-desert-in-new-tv-spot/1245538/article-detail.xml 1245538 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/fpv_tv_spot_02-450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/fpv_tv_spot_02-450.jpg <![CDATA[Plane used in Honda skydiving ad crashed next flight]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/02/plane-used-in-honda-skydiving-ad-crashed-next-day/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/02/plane-used-in-honda-skydiving-ad-crashed-next-day/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/02/plane-used-in-honda-skydiving-ad-crashed-next-day/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Mere hours after Honda's impressive skydiving commercial named "Jump" aired live in Europe, the plane used in the spot crashed and claimed the lives of its pilot and a skydiver. Nine other skydivers aboard the plane, a Pilatus PC-6, were fortunately able to escape before the crash. While Honda has extended its condolences to the victims' families, the automaker was apparently in no way connected to the incident. The sky divers in Honda's commercial and the production crew had all moved on by then, but it's a little creepy to think of what would've happened if this tragedy had occurred on live television. The crash occurred in Toledo, Spain after the aircraft lost a wing, the cause of which is not yet known. Thanks to Satish for the tip.

[Source: BBC]


Continue reading Plane used in Honda skydiving ad crashed next flight

Plane used in Honda skydiving ad crashed next flight originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>difficult is worth doingDifficultIsWorthDoinghonda adhonda ad plane crashhonda commercialhonda skydivinghonda spothonda tvhonda tv adHondaAdHondaAdPlaneCrashHondaCommercialHondaSkydivingHondaSpotHondaTvHondaTvAdplane crashPlaneCrashtelevision commercialtelevision spotTelevisionCommercialTelevisionSpottv spotTvSpotMon, 02 Jun 2008 10:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1212177/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/06/02/plane-used-in-honda-skydiving-ad-crashed-next-day/1212177/article-detail.xml 1212177 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/hondaadplane_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/hondaadplane_opt.jpg <![CDATA[VIDEO: KITT obviates valet parking]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/17/video-kitt-obviates-valet-parking-attendants/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/17/video-kitt-obviates-valet-parking-attendants/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/17/video-kitt-obviates-valet-parking-attendants/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Something tells me the commercials for the new Knight Rider are going to be better than the show they're pimping, but we can hold out hope, however slim it may be. This week's new TV spot features lead character Mercury Mike Tracer as he drops off KITT in front of a valet parking stand, rendering an eager parking attendant speechless. No GT500KR joyride for you, dude. Watch it after the jump.

[Source: Knight Rider Online]

Continue reading VIDEO: KITT obviates valet parking

VIDEO: KITT obviates valet parking originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>commercialKITTknight riderKnightRidermike tracerMikeTracertv spotTvSpotvaletvalet spotValetSpotwill arnettWillArnettThu, 17 Jan 2008 09:34:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1089359/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/01/17/video-kitt-obviates-valet-parking-attendants/1089359/article-detail.xml 1089359 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/kitt_valet_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/kitt_valet.jpg <![CDATA[(You)Tube City! Vauxhall Astra TwinTop hits the waves]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/17/you-tube-city-vauxhall-astra-twintop-hits-the-waves/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/17/you-tube-city-vauxhall-astra-twintop-hits-the-waves/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/17/you-tube-city-vauxhall-astra-twintop-hits-the-waves/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Vauxhall's new TV commercial for the Astra TwinTop  takes us  to an exotic, sun-soaked locale where the  hardtop convertible shows a group of assembled surfers a thing or two about catching  waves.

In addition to being incredibly clever and fun, the spot is blessedly devoid of the idiotic legal disclaimers American viewers are regularly subjected to, such as, "Simulation - Do Not Attempt",  "Not appropriate for water use" or  "Vauxhall Astra is not a surfboard -  Will sink in open ocean."

Without question, it's one of the better campaigns to come from any automaker this year. Bravo!

[Source: YouTube via Fresh Creation]

(You)Tube City! Vauxhall Astra TwinTop hits the waves originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>astraastra commercialastra surfingastra tvAstraCommercialAstraSurfingAstraTvtv spotTvSpottwintoptwintop commercialtwintop surfingtwintop surfing commercialtwintop TVTwintopCommercialTwintopSurfingTwintopSurfingCommercialTwintopTvvauxhallvauxhall astra twintopvauxhall commercialvauxhall surfingVauxhall tvVauxhallAstraTwintopVauxhallCommercialVauxhallSurfingVauxhallTvSat, 17 Jun 2006 21:20:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/634053/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/06/17/you-tube-city-vauxhall-astra-twintop-hits-the-waves/634053/article-detail.xml 634053 -1 2