Car advertisements put focus on personality

CAR companies seeking to avoid look-alike television commercials for look-alike cars are spending big money on glitzy, surreal advertising that sometimes does not even show the vehicle.

Industry experts say a growing number of American and British car ads no longer focus on technical details but on the "personality" of the brand.

Last year, more than a billion dollars was spent on advertising cars on British television.

The images used are becoming increasingly surreal in a bid to attract the attention of viewers dulled by similar campaigns.

Industry sources say the new trend is emerging because there is little to distinguish one car brand from another. But some also warn that consumers, while enjoying the ads, may forget the product.

British car ads have traditionally featured a winding road, beautiful scenery, a glamorous couple and haunting soundtrack, with some technical detail thrown in for good measure.

A spokesperson for the ad agency Publicis, which runs the Renault account, told Reuters: "Much of the advertising is overtly status-ridden and packed with stereotypes."

But things are changing.

Ford's latest campaign for its small Fiesta includes shots of an old man bouncing on a trampoline and a man blowing bubbles with bubble gum. It offers only a glimpse of the car in the final frame.

The launch last year of Ford's innovative Ka showed a lighthouse, a pair of feet and a bumble bee, but no car.

Ford's account director at Ogilvy and Mather, Simon Binns, said: "To appeal to ad literate (consumers) the advertising had to be incredibly fresh and original."

This tactic has also been adopted by Germany's BMW, which has run an ad featuring a yellow rubber duck with the BMW logo in place of the duck's eyes.

Branding company CLK's chairman, Chris Wood, said "Cars are becoming more and more similar. The technical differences are fewer and fewer and so the perceived image of the car becomes the biggest differentiating factor."

His view is supported by a director of the international branding group Interbrand, Simon Mottram.

"It's a huge trend for carmakers to put personality into their brands. Cars used to be sold on their functional aspects. Now, it is all about softer, more expressive values," he said.

The Mini, made by Rover and achieving cult status in the 1960s, will be promoted this summer as a fashion accessory in British style magazines.

The ads will feature a range of brightly colored customized cars almost hidden against a bright background.

Mini's account director at Ammirati Puris Lintas, Paul Gordon, said: "The Mini is a very individual brand and we want to emphasize that. If you drive one you can be cool, or trendy, or sporty or classic, it allows you to express your own personality."

While some British car ads have taken a surreal turn to promote the personality of the brand, others are pastiches of popular television shows or glitzy Hollywood movies.

An advertisement for Nissan's Almera parodies the 1970s British police series The Sweeney and another for Peugeot's 106 has a story line loosely based on the movie Thelma and Louise.

Ad-industry experts say that while the ads are entertaining, many consumers have trouble remembering the product being advertised.

A director of branding specialist New Solutions, Janet Bik, said, "We have found in research groups that although consumers enjoy the advertising, they often can't remember who it was for. Which rather defeats the object."

The creative director for Walsh Trott Chick Smith, Dave Trott, asked: "Do you remember the car ad with the soundtrack Search for the hero? Beautifully shot, nicely edited, terrific song. But what was it for? Several million pounds later and all you're thinking is great soundtrack."

Trott said the problem with the ad for Peugeot and many others was "the advertisement becomes an end in itself and selling of the product is forgotten".

Some industry experts believe car companies will return to putting the cars and their technical details back into the ads.

"I think they (carmakers) will begin to tie the imaginary more closely with the brand and use the car as the central hero of ad campaigns," Bik said.

"Ironically, as car dealerships consolidate and their numbers decline, ads will be one of the places where consumers will actually be able to see what the cars look like."

-- Reuters