From time to time, an auto commercial receives so much notoriety it becomes an iconic study in how to derail advertising careers and brand momentum.
Here are four auto commercials that may have had Toyota, GM, Subaru, and Hyundai ad executives on the chopping block.
Apple Juice by Toyota
Saatchi and Saatchi, the advertising mega firm, totally botched this commercial. A smoothie store owner suggests the protagonist drink 'apple juice' before the protagonist runs the streets, prompting curious passersby to dance in formation with hops and skips. Even two cute elderly folks make a cameo inquiring about apple juice.
Quite frankly, we do not see the connection between apple juice and a 2014 Toyota Corolla, even as a play on its 'style never goes out of style' concept.
Robot Super Bowl Commercial by GM
In an uncharacteristic move by GM's ad brain, this Super Bowl ad features an assembly line robot that gets "fired" after misplacing a screw. In a series of short clips, the friendly robot tries to pursue other lines of work, such as sign holding, before jumping off a bridge in an attempted suicide to the "All By Myself" soundtrack by Eric Carmen.
Subaru by Jeremy Davies
In this 1992 commercial, baggy clothes wearing actor Jeremy Davies of Saving Private Ryan and Lost fame rambles on how impressive the Impreza is, without actually calling out one feature.
The ramble focuses on "challenging car thinking" and "reminding consumers about what is great about a car." Talk about a sales pitch that's more annoying than informative.
Pipe Job by Hyundai
In another suicide-related ad, a Hyundai owner callously sits in a Hyundai, watching a tailpipe tube emit poisonous fumes. As he slowly closes his eyes in this obviously staged suicide attempt, the shot cuts to the entire house, where he then casually opens the door and walks out. The ad calls out the ix35's 100% water emissions, and chaos ensues.
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