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The 5 Best Car Commercials of All-Time

Posted by Brandon Weaver | Fri, Sep 14, 2012 @ 11:00 AM

Think back to the best car commercials you’ve ever seen. They can be funny, about safety features or maybe your favorite celebrity makes an appearance. What makes them great? Humor and messaging. Car insurance companies have their fair share of great ads too: see Allstate’s Mayhem and State Farm’s “Magic Jingle Buffalo.”

The best ads are often shown during peak viewing times such as the Super Bowl, primetime sitcoms, etc. Here's our list of the 5 best car commercials in a long line of great ones:

  Cars.

 

com - “Confidence” 

We’ve all been there in the dealership, concerned about making a big purchase and being satisfied with the down and monthly payments and making the commitment to drive it for 10 years. That’s where confidence and conscience comes into play. By using Cars.com they provide all necessary information to make an educated buying decision: Kelley blue book values, auto loan calculator and car reviews. Needless to say this is a great example of humor and education.

  VW - "The Force"

Set to the iconic music and film character, this ad is great on so many levels. The child dressed in full costume attempts to exert his power many times to no avail so he or she easily becomes frustrated and disappointed. That is until the new VW Passat arrives in the driveway. The child quickly brushes the father aside determined to put “the force” to work. To the child’s delight it finally works, and he or she is surprised and amazed at the same time. This 30-second ad has no dialogue, just music and pure human emotion. Yet sometimes the absence of dialogue makes more of an impression – a great example of just that. Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, what’s not to love?

  VW - "Dog Strikes Back"

Fact #1: Dogs love chasing cars. Fact #2: The Volkswagen Beetle is unique and one of the most recognizable vehicles throughout automobile history. Here the dog spots a VW racing through his neighborhood and he starts to chase it down but gets stuck in the doggy door! Determined to overcome all odds he starts to exercise by himself – no owners needed. Perfectly timed with the music, the dog’s mood changes from melancholy to energized and he is able to finally squeeze through the door and chase down the new VW. It’s ending tagline is very fitting for both the dog and the VW too: “back and better than ever.” At the conclusion is a funny comparison between the Darth Vader character and the dog with creatures in a bar setting. You decide – which is better: man’s best friend or the leader of the dark side?

  Fiat - "Seduction"

In this crafty spot the beautiful woman serves as a symbol for the new Fiat 500 Abarth. As the man approaches he realizes the woman has the “stop you in your tracks because you can’t help but notice” look. She immediately gets offended by him staring at her and confronts him speaking in Italian. Italian is a language well known for being beautiful and a language of love so unless you speak it fluently it is hard to interpret what she is really telling him. That point renders moot because he falls in love with her instantly, albeit daydreaming. Again, a great summation for the car and the ad's messaging: “you’ll never forget the first time you see one.”

  Chevy - “Slide”

Ah yes, the negotiating table. You can play hardball by walking away from the sale, or give in to the salesperson's tactics and pay a higher price than you really want. Some of us dread this situation; others love to go to battle haggling over price and warranty features. Chevy is very confident they offer the best priceand  that no negotiating is necessary. Little does the couple in this ad know, they’re not even haggling! They feel proud to have agreed on a very low price, a price the dealership set on the tag in the first place!

Don’t agree with our list? What’s the best, funniest, most thought provoking and influential car commercial you have ever seen? Post the link below because we want to see it! Want more? Check out CarThrottle’s list containing the 50 best car commercials of all time.

 

car sales stereotypes            C.A.R.S Insider's Guide

 

Topics: Auto Dealerships

Written by Brandon Weaver