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| The Best Car Commercials, Ever … |
Thanks to DVR, it’s easier than ever to zip through all of the commercials for toilet paper and air freshener and cell phones these days.
There are some commercials, though, that inspire viewers to keep their fingers off the fast forward button – and many of them just happen to be car ads.
These commercials might make you laugh, might make you cry or make you think, but no matter what, they do what they are intended to do: get your attention.
Here are some of the best car commercials of all time; see if you remember them!
Volkswagen, “The Force.”
Premiering during the 2011 Superbowl, this commercial for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat got people talking and laughing.
Featuring a little boy dressed in Darth Vader garb and trying to “use the force” to control things around him, the commercial is funny, heartwarming, and appealing to anyone who has seen (and loved) a Star Wars film.
Nissan, “Toys.”
In 1997, Nissan got people talking and laughing with a fun spot featuring Barbie and Ken-style dolls zooming around a playroom in a remote control Nissan model sports car to the sounds of a Van Halen song.
Unfortunately the ad caught the attention of Mattel, the makers of the dolls and was pulled due to copyright violations.
2012 Honda Odyssey “Rock Van.”
Let’s face it: minivans lack a bit of “coolness.” Honda tried to combat that image with a commercial in 2011 that featured a thirtysomething dad rocking out to Ozzy Osbourne while fireworks burst and panthers – yes, panthers – pounce around the van.
The commercial might not make minivans cool, but for 30 seconds, the dream was alive and well.
2012 Kia Optima, “Mr. Sandman.”
Along the same lines as the Odyssey ad, and for a vehicle with an equally problematic reputation, this commercial thrilled audiences during the 2012 Superbowl. Featuring a sleeping couple, the ad starts with the sandman entering their bedroom to sprinkle dream dust.
When he trips and dumps the bag of sand on the male half of the couple, his dream of a sedate sedan turns into a male fantasy on steroids. Over the strains of hair metal band Motley Crue, a gorgeous brunette gives him the green flag to race the Optima around a racetrack… and into his wife’s dream, where he steals her away from a long-haired hunk.
The funny spot tapped into every car commercial stereotype and audiences adored it.
2012 Fiat Arbath, “Seduction.”
If car commercials are designed to get attention, then this one succeeded in spades. A gorgeous woman seduces an Average Joe that she catches staring at him, getting up close and whispering in Italian before locking lips.
As the camera pans away, the woman is gone and in her place is a sexy little Italian car. The commercial turned all of the regular conventions of car commercials on their ears and likely increased enrollment in Italian language classes.
2011 Chrysler, “Born of Fire.”
Called by some, one of the best commercials ever – in any category – this spot is a tribute to the resilience of the people of Detroit and a reminder that American cars are still very relevant.
Over the sound of a gospel choir singing over the beat of Detroit-native Eminem’s hit “Lose Yourself,” the dark and brooding commercial featured actual Detroit residents and scenes from the city.
It was inspiring, though-provoking and effective: search traffic for Chrysler jumped over 300 percent after the spot ran.
2011 Audi, “Luxury Prison.”
Perhaps cashing in on some of the resentment toward the 1% these days, this fun spot from Audi showed wealthy fat cats in a prison of their own making, driving other luxury brands like Mercedes instead of the more fun Audi models.
With a cameo by Kenny G, the spot was just timely – and random – enough to get audiences chuckling during the 2011 Superbowl.
Every year car manufacturers release a new crop of car commercials and a year from now, this list could change completely.
Maybe the next crop will bring forth commercials for import and domestic car parts. But for now, these are some of the funniest and most effective car commercials to grace your television set.
Thank you Giddi for this guest post
