2009 Hyundai Sonata Transform Ad - Cool!

We’ve seen plenty of car ads showing vehicles transforming into robots but we can’t remember ever seeing a car model transforming into its successor –even if it is just a facelift. We really liked Hyundai’s Korean TV ad for the facelifted Sonata (see the leaked images here), as it's innovative and up to the point at the same time. Hopefully we’ll see it coming around these shores too.

Jeep Outdoor Parking Campaign

Chrysler LLC has turned to the guerrilla marketing strategy to promote the Jeep brand in the city of Copenhagen in Denmark by painting parking spaces in weird places like over steps and trees. The "guerrilla marketing" concept was created by Jay Conrad Levinson and it is used to describe nontraditional, low-cost or no-cost ways of highly effective marketing, promoting, advertising, publicizing, etc. efforts. While many people might be annoyed by the fact that Jeep is telling people that they can park in pedestrian zones or up a tree, we find the campaign quite innovative and... honest -it shows the real use of 4x4s in cities… -More images after the jump

Via: Motorpasion , Source: Compradiccion

Suzuki Swift Print Ad - "Swift: More Fun"

This print ad is the work of the Danish advertising agency, “Robert/Boisen & Likeminded” which is based in the city of Copenhagen. The advert utilizes a set of roll-coaster style protective bars to accentuate the Japanese mini’s youthful character. In our humble opinion, the ad would have been better targeted if the Danish agency had used the Suzuki Swift Sport with the bucket seats instead of the basic model, which to be honest, isn't what we'd call fun.

Audi R8 Advert: "The Slowest Car We’ve Ever Built"

As we told you last week, Audi launched a new U.K. market TV campaign which focuses on the fact that the new R8 might be one of the fastest kids around the block but when it comes to production, it actually has the by far the slowest build process of all Audi models. The advert aired on Wednesday, Oct 17 during the Russia vs. England Euro 2008 football qualifier match (despite Wayne Rooney’s fantastic goal, England lost 2-1 to Russia).

Via: Autoblog.it

BMW 135i Coupe TV Commercial

If you’re waiting to see Bimmer’s newest coupe showing off its 306 Hp turbocharged engine or its road handling capabilities in this TV commercial, get ready to be disappointed. The Bavarians chose to show a man getting in a 135i Coupe that’s being built in the factory. The guy is so impressed by the car that he doesn’t care less about the machines working around him. We know that the 135i Coupe will be bought by many people as a status symbol on wheels, but what’s wrong with a traditional ad showing a guy racing the coupe around the Nurburgring track?

Audi R8 TV Campaign: "The Slowest Car We’ve Ever Built!"

Audi is initiating a new media campaign to support the sales launch of the new R8 high-performance sports car in the UK market. The 90 second long film will bear the motto “The Slowest car We’ve Ever Built” highlighting the ‘hand-intensive’ build process that goes into every R8.

The German carmaker will spend more than £6 million ($12.2 million or €8.6 million) in the campaign representing the largest investment ever made by Audi UK in the launch of a new model. The multi-channel campaign will break cover on October 17 during the England vs Russia football match on Sky Sports One. From November 16, the commercial will also be aired in cinemas across the UK.

Chocolate Covered Jeep: Lick It And Win It...

It could have been worse; like those poor fellas that were sucking nipples off a Chevy in a Chinese contest a couple of weeks ago (click here). The Jeep event, which will take place on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, will see seven contestants licking their way through one of seven chocolate-covered Jeep vehicles, representing each of the models in the brand’s line-up. The first two to lick their way through the layers of chocolate will be forwarded to a 2008 Jeep Liberty (Cherokee in Europe), filled with 25,000 pieces of wrapped candy. The first one to discover the keys hidden somewhere in-between the candy, will win the Liberty. -Press release after the jump

Press Release

Chocolate Lovers Compete for a Sweet Prize to Celebrate Sweetest Day

What: More than seven in 10 Americans, or 71 percent, believe anything is better when it’s covered in chocolate. To prove just how “sweet” our nation’s “sweet tooth” is, Jeep is challenging seven consumers to find the “sweet spot” on a chocolate-covered Jeep for the chance to win an all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty.

Jeep is inviting contestants to lick their way through one of seven chocolate-covered Jeep vehicles, representing each of the models in the brand’s lineup. The first two participants to lick their way through the layers of chocolate will make their way to the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty, filled with more than 25,000 pieces of wrapped candy. Buried among all those tasty treats will be the keys to the grand prize -- a 2008 Jeep Liberty 4x4 with the industry-exclusive Sky Slider™ roof. The first person to find the keys will celebrate “Sweetest Day the Jeep Way” with their “sweet” new ride.

Who: Seven chocolate-covered contestants from Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Lexington, Ky.

When: Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007

• Event kicks off at 5:50 a.m. with a check presentation to Boys & Girls Club

Where: The Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect Avenue E Cleveland, Ohio 44115

Details

Sweet Sights:

• Lick-ety Split – Seven contestants will literally lick through layers of chocolate that coat the grills of seven different chocolate-covered Jeep vehicles.
• Candy Chaos – Two consumers will race to the Jeep Liberty, open the doors and unleash more than 25,000 pieces of wrapped chocolate and candies, while searching for one set of car keys.
• The Sweetest Tooth – One contestant will savor the flavor when they find the keys and hop into the driver’s seat to claim his/her all-new Jeep Liberty

Other: This year, two of America’s favorite icons – Jeep and chocolate – are coming together to celebrate in an unusual way. Timed to coincide with Sweetest Day and the arrival of the 2008 Jeep Liberty in dealerships, seven lucky consumers will be selected to participate in the “Sweetest Day the Jeep Way” challenge for the chance to win an all-new Jeep Liberty

Video: Mazda3 Gets Pissed When Dog Takes A Leak

In this German market Mazda3 TV commercial, a dog decides to take a leak on the Japanese car, only to discover that the Mazda3 has a mind of its own giving our four legged friend a lesson to remember. Not bad if it’s your first “car vs animal” commercial but otherwise, nothing new. -See the video after the jump

Via: egmCarTech

Nissan Launches Second Online Campaign For The 2008 GT-R

Following the launch of dedicated website for the new GT-R at www.gtrnissan.com, Nissan kicked off a second online campaign called “The Black Mask Project” hosted at www.black-mask.org. Concisely, the website includes a series of 5 sec long videos featuring a camouflaged GT-R in a truck and a crowd of people dressed in black and wearing a mask doing, well we don’t know what they’re doing exactly. Nothing new, nothing interesting but that’s all we have until Nissan opens up its cards in a fortnight from now at the Tokyo Show opening.

Via: Autoblog.nl , Link: Black Mask

2008 BMW E90 M3 Sedan Commercial

Here’s a brand-new online ad for the just released 2008 BMW M3 E90 Sedan (see images here and promo video here). Four pilots take the new M3 Sedan for a straight-line acceleration test. Once completed, the coordinator kindly asks the pilots to abort the car but… -well, let’s not spoil the surprise. One of the funniest commercials BMW has made in a while.

Via: Autoblog.it

Video: Audi TT Dropped Into Pool For A Magazine Cover Shoot!

Once upon a time, magazines used Photoshop to create stunning magazine covers. Well actually they still do, but not all of them. Intersection mag, sunk an Audi TT 3.2 V6 into a pool along with a female model for the needs of a photo shoot. And while they were at it, they filmed the whole process in order to create a little buzz about themselves in the net. Check out the cover after the jump and tell us that this couldn’t be done with photoshop… -Continued

Via: Autoblog.nl

VW Eos Print Ad - Split Personality

This VW Eos print advert comes from the Swiss ad agency “Krieg, Schlupp, Bürge / Springer & Jacoby”. The advertisement is pretty straightforward –the Eos is a coupe-cabrio or as others call it, a convertible with an electric folding hardtop, but since when is straightforward exciting or innovative? It might get the job done, but personally, we’d probably forget we even saw it a sec. What was the name of the car again…

Audi RS4 Ad Targets BMW M3

Despite the “Audi.co.za” label on the right hand corner, we’re not entirely convinced that what we’re seeing here is an official print ad from Audi South Africa (check out the road on the left side of the car). Not that it makes any difference as we think that the ad is brilliantly witty. For all you bitter bimmer fans, check out this video here, it’ll make you feel better.

Via: Le Blog Auto

BMW Launches New Ad Campaign For Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles

BMW USA has kicked off a new ad campaign for its Certified Pre-Owned program bearing the motto "Pre-Owned. We Swear." that (apparently) accentuates the fact that Certified Pre-Owned bimmers are in such great condition that buyers can’t tell them apart from brand new vehicles. The campaign, which was created by Publicis New York will have a national reach and it includes three television spots, eight radio spots, eight print advertisements, and a number of Internet banners. -Details and pics after the jump

BMW LAUNCHES NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR ITS CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PROGRAM

BMW NA and Publicis New York Create New Ad Campaign Featuring Tagline "Pre-Owned. We Swear."

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - September 13, 2007... BMW of North America, LLC announced today a new, national broadcast, print, radio and Internet marketing campaign for its Certified Pre-Owned program that will launch September 13, 2007. The "Pre-Owned. We Swear." spots created by Publicis New York will underscore the fact that Certified Pre-Owned BMWs are in such great condition that people cannot tell the difference between Certified Pre-Owned BMWs and brand new vehicles.

"The tagline of the new campaign - 'Pre-Owned. We Swear.' - speaks to the fact that Certified Pre-Owned BMWs carry all of the intrinsic values and characteristics of new BMWs," said Joan Horst, Pre-Owned Manager - Marketing for BMW of North America. "The campaign also reinforces the BMW Certified Pre-Owned Protection Plan that covers our vehicles for up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. Our customers can enjoy their Certified Pre-Owned BMWs even more with the added assurance of the CPO warranty coverage and BMW Roadside Assistance. The Certified Pre-Owned BMW Vehicle Program is an excellent way for people who desire a premium vehicle to reward themselves with The Ultimate Driving Machine®."

The campaign will have a national reach, with a staggered release running regionally throughout the United States over several weeks. It will include three television spots, eight radio spots, eight print advertisements, and a number of Internet banners.

Since its inception in 1996, the BMW Certified Pre-Owned program has become the number-one luxury certified program in the United States, with more than 80,000 sales in 2006. BMW leads the luxury end of the Certified Pre-Owned market, and July 2007 was BMW's best July ever, with sales of more than 7,100 Certified vehicles. "The BMW CPO program is one of the fastest-growing parts of our business," said Horst. "We will increase ad spending for the 2007/08 calendar years, and we expect to sell 10 percent more Certified Pre-Owned vehicles than we did in 2006."

Print ads

Each of the "Pre-Owned. We Swear." print ads shows one of the cars on a white page, standing alone, next to the tagline "Pre-Owned. We Swear." Each ad features corresponding copy that emphasizes the Certified Pre-Owned Program's 6 year / 100,000 mile Protection Plan.

The print campaign will run in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Money Select Edition, Sports Illustrated Select Edition, andTime Affluentials. Internet banners will be featured on Autotrader.com, KBB.com and Google.com. A dealer "ad builder" tool will also be available so that BMW centers can customize their own print ads using the message elements from the new campaign.

Television spots

The television spots use a humorous, light-hearted approach to convey the Certified Pre-Owned BMW message. Each of the spots portrays a situation where a person has a hard time believing that a Certified Pre-Owned BMW is used and not new.

"Friend"

The viewer sees a BMW center where a BMW Client Advisor is showing an interested consumer an immaculate X3. The customer is convinced that the vehicle he is looking at is new. The BMW Client Advisor explains to the customer that it is, in fact, not a new car, but a Certified Pre-Owned BMW, backed by BMW for up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. The customer asks the Client Advisor, "You swear?" whereupon the Client Advisor answers "I swear." The customer looks over to his friend who accompanied him to the dealership for further confirmation, and we see it's a priest. The priest nods in agreement that this car is in fact a Certified Pre-Owned BMW.

"Little Girl"

An innocent little girl runs through a BMW center and asks a BMW Client Advisor if the beautiful BMW 5 Series he is standing beside is a new car. The BMW Client Advisor explains to her that the car is a Certified Pre-Owned BMW. The little girl is confused. The car looks so good that she can't tell it is Pre-Owned. She runs off into the arms of her father who is standing nearby. Her father comforts her and says to the Client Advisor, "Why don't you just tell her there's no Santa Claus," lightly scolding him for disillusioning his little girl.

"Wife"

A BMW Client Advisor sees one of his customers and says hello, asking him how the car is. The customer tells the BMW Client Advisor that the car is great, but then sheepishly asks the Client Advisor, "Can you please tell her what you told me yesterday," motioning toward his wife. The BMW Client Advisor looks a little confused, "Congratulations?" The wife looks less than impressed and expresses her disapproval, "You sold my husband a new car." The BMW Client Advisor tries to explain, "No ma'am, it's a Certified Pre-Owned BMW, and it even comes with a warranty of up to 6 years or 100,000 miles." The wife is not convinced insisting, "But look at it; it's a new car!" The BMW Client Advisor and the husband exchange a look of exasperation because the wife still thinks the car is new. "Wow, she's tough," says the Client Advisor. The husband replies, "You have no idea."

2008 Audi A4 Promo Ad: "The Chase"

Not what we’d call innovative since the recipe, “car chased by chick in a chopper and 007 music” is something that we’ve seen more times and with more diverse products than we can even remember. But it’ll have to do for now. -Check out the 2008 Audi A4 official press release and high-res image gallery here

Lexus To Spend £6 Million On Hybrid Campaign In The UK

Six million pounds, 12 million US dollars, 8.7 million Euros; that’s an awful lot of money. Hopefully Lexus won’t mess it up this time as it did earlier this year when a magazine advert for the RX 400h was band on the grounds of false claims in the UK. Doesn't ring a bell? Click here and check it out –a little bit of history never hurt anyone. The 6 million pounds will be spent on a multimedia ad campaign that includes national TV, landmark billboard, on-line, and magazine activities in order to promote Lexus’ hybrid models for the fourth quarter of 2007. The first TV ads will air on September 17. -Press release after the jump

PRESS RELEASE: Luxury car maker Lexus has announced a substantial multimedia ad campaign promoting its industry-leading range of hybrid models for the fourth quarter of 2007. The spend of more than £6 million includes national TV, landmark billboard, on-line, and magazine activities.

Designed and co-ordinated by full service agency CHI & Partners with communications planning from ZenithOptimedia, the campaign will emphasise the engineering innovations that have enabled Lexus to build a range of high performance cars with substantially better emissions levels and fuel efficiency than rival premium market brands. It coincides with the October launch of the LS 600h hybrid power limousine, the new Lexus flagship model.

The television ads will air across six weeks from 17 September, the camerawork moving through prairie and desert panoramas to gradually reveal an LS 600h driving in an urban landscape. The tag line declares: “One day high performance will come with lower emissions....not one day but today.”

A 40-second version will be screened on television, with an extended 60-second version for Virgin Atlantic services airing through to Christmas.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX: The Japanese Car The German’s Wish They Made

This funny TV ad, created by “DDB Canada”, focuses on the envy of German car engineers who wish they had made the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX, tooting the Japanese car’s stellar reliability and driving performance. Interestingly, the song that the four German engineers are listening to, the 1985 hit “Rock me Amadeus” was actually performed by an Austrian pop star, Robert Falco, but who the hell remembers. Wouldn’t it be cool if a German carmaker came out with a counter ad of the type “The German car the Japanese wish they’d designed”?

Would You Trust These Guys With Your Car?

Unless this picture is the work of a talented photoshop artist, the guys owning this Valet parking company have to seriously rethink their advertising strategy… -Thanks for the tip Ellen!

Pic via: flickr

Audi RS4 Ad: 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 sec

Ok, we admit it took us a second or two to make ends meet in this Audi RS4 ad... In case you’re wondering it’s the speed cam pointing towards the garage.

Via: autoblog.nl

McLaren Mercedes Ad: Fernando Alonso vs Lewis Hamilton

Under the rhythm’s of the song “Anything you can do, I can do better”, British McLaren Mercedes Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso of Spain childishly try to out do each other in McLaren Mercedes’ lightsome 60-second commercial which airs this Saturday (July 28) in Germany, Spain, and the UK. The two F1 drivers engage in a "fierce" daily competition starting off from the pits and continuing until they reach the sauna of their hotel were they meet Mika Häkkinen. Follow the jump to see the video which also includes scenes from the making of the commercial. -Click “Read More…” below to see the video along with the press release

Via: Autoblog.it , Source: Mercedes-Benz

Alonso, Hamilton, and Häkkinen: Every second is full of passion at Mercedes-Benz

• Formula 1 drivers star in new TV commercial
• Mercedes-Benz shows that passion is programmed into the brand’s genes
• TV commercial will be aired next weekend to coincide with Formula 1 races

Stuttgart – In the new Mercedes-Benz TV commercial, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton reveal that they’ve got racing in their blood. In a series of amusing scenes, it becomes clear that they see themselves as friendly rivals not only on the race track but also at a hotel reception desk, at a gym, and in a sauna. In the 60-second commercial, which will be aired starting next Saturday on the most popular public and private TV channels in Germany, Spain, and the UK, Mercedes-Benz demonstrates that the fascination of auto racing is based not only on fighting spirit but also a large dose of playfulness and fun.

“Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have a passion for auto racing,” says Norbert Haug, head of Mercedes-Benz Motor Sports. “Both of them are ambitious, focused, and competitive. They cultivate a healthy sense of rivalry and appreciate and respect each other very much. Of course this is obvious on the race track, and it was evident while we were shooting the new TV commercial, too. In spite of the time pressure and their lack of familiarity with the TV medium, they really enjoyed the shoot. Mika Häkkinen, who has won the Formula 1 championship twice, has been in commercials before, and he’s as cool and appealing as ever this time around.”

A sneak preview of the TV commercial will be available starting Friday, July 20, on Mercedes-Benz Internet TV at www.mercedes-benz.tv. The commercial will be aired here in its full length, and of course it can be replayed at any time via video on demand.

“The idea for this commercial originated in our brand philosophy,” says Dr. Olaf Göttgens, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars. “After all, motor sports are deeply rooted in the history of Mercedes-Benz, and today they’re still an essential element of our brand’s fascination. Motor sports embody the passion that characterizes Mercedes-Benz.”

Taking a tongue-in-cheek approach, the TV commercial shows the two Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 drivers engaging in ‘fierce daily competition’. In the spot, the current Formula 1 front-runner, Lewis Hamilton, wins a race just seconds ahead of the current second-place driver, Fernando Alonso. He celebrates his triumph while he’s still sitting in the cockpit, with a broad grin and a wave of his hand. But only a short time later, as the two racers are driving back to their hotel in a Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG and a CLK 63 AMG Black Series, Hamilton is momentarily distracted by an attractive woman who happens to be passing by. Alonso quickly takes advantage of the situation and leaves his surprised colleague behind at a traffic light. The game continues when they arrive at the hotel reception desk, on the way to and from their hotel rooms, in the gym, and in the sauna. In all of these arenas, neither of the two is prepared to give way. Despite the blistering heat and their exhaustion in the sauna, each of them wants to be the winner. In the end, the driver who steals the show is the experienced professional Mika Häkkinen, who comes from Finland and therefore knows everything there is to know about saunas. But these outstanding sportsmen would not be the champions they are if they didn’t know how to “lose” with a smile once in a while - even if it’s only at a sauna.