22 September 2014

Peugeot’s ‘Gary’s Cat’ commercial, for me, marked a low point in TV car advertising. Take a look to refresh your memory. It is one of the most mean-spirited pieces of viewing that you’ll find. No wonder Peugeot received so many complaints that they quickly toned it down, adding a less miserable ending.

But my sympathies here really lie with the poor souls employed by the dealerships, out on the sales floor.

Eager for a positive brand message via national advertising that’ll help them sell, instead Peugeot hands them a stinker. The make’s “Just Add Fuel’ is actually quite an attractive package – but the prevailing message from ‘Gary’s Cat’ is that you’d need to be a nasty piece of work to even consider it.

Unfortunately for automotive sales pros, at least one other recent campaign is little better. Take Toyota’s ‘Go Fun Yourself’, aired to launch the latest Aygo. Here it is:

Not only is the brand slogan ‘Go Fun Yourself’ dubious for all but the most pure of mind, the TV ad’s pounding soundtrack includes the lines: ‘I crashed my car into a bridge, I watched, and let it burn’.

 Fortunately, the Aygo is nicely made, good to drive and sensibly priced. It deserves to sell well and will do despite its advertising, not because of it.

Like ‘Gary’s Cat’, Toyota’s is an expensive campaign that’s so ill conceived that it does nothing to help the make’s front-line sellers.

If there’s a lesson for global marketing chiefs to learn it comes in Volkswagen’s advertising. Its ‘Well worth It’ TV campaign, shown over the summer, communicates a simple message that connects straight to the make’s core values. It’s an easy one for sales people to ‘get behind’, to mention when chatting with customers.

Granted, it’s tricky to tailor advertising to work across all of Europe when matters of taste, humour and sentiment differ as they do from nation to nation. But when big campaigns with huge budgets go so wrong, it’s time to re-consider. Isn’t it?

Be interested to hear what you think – drop me a line?

Ray Castle
ray@auto-retail.com

Tags: Brand advertising, Gary's Cat, go fun yourself, Peugeot, Toyota