Bad / Hilarious Car Advertising: The Worst Car Ads of All Time
Car manufacturers and dealerships typically put a great deal of thought and effort into their advertisements and nationwide campaigns. There are often a considerable number of capable minds with a vast amount of experience in the industry developing these ads for the public. Companies often take risks in order to be cutting-edge when it comes to their advertising approach. Nine time out of ten, their efforts are massively successful. However, there are still plenty of examples where the ad is a massive failure. Below, you will find some of he worst car ads to ever come into public view.
This well-known manufacturer spent a massive amount of money to air an advertisement during a Superbowl of the recent past. In the commercial, viewers were met with a robotic “character” that is lovingly anthropomorphized. The “worker robot” drops a screw on the production line, causing it to lose its job and quickly become an outcast. Loosely based on the success of Disney’s “Wall-E,” viewers are suppose to identify with the robot. However, the robot jumps off a bridge at the end of the commercial. The apparent robot “suicide” left viewers with a morbid taste in their mouths. This reference left the public outraged with the loose handling of such a serious subject. General Motors quickly aired an edited version in hopes of making up public-relations ground.
Toyota made a classic mistake with annoying buyers to a huge degree by making a mistake with their advertising scheduling. This commercial was meant to promote zero-percent APR on financing for a new-vehicle release. Because of the scheduling, viewers could flip between multiple channels and see the commercial over and over again during every single commercial break. Viewers became so annoyed that they actually launched an online campaign to have the advertisement pulled from the air. It is not only the message that matters but also the amount of exposure that can make all the difference.
Car companies often enlist celebrities in order to endorse their products. Dodge made a huge mistake with the push for the Colt, bringing on board Celine Dion to entice buyers. The ad predated her association with “Titanic,” but the results were still bad. In the commercial, she uses the new Dodge to virtually destroy a city. Decked out in full dance clothing, Dion takes the car around town, setting fire to parking meters and causing buildings to fall in her wake.
