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Monday, February 22, 2010
Car Commercials Kicking Butt
I've been noticing a lot of stellar car commercials lately.
Though a handful of car companies sold more in 2009 than in 2008 and are gaining share (Subaru of Japan and Honda and Kia of Korea), most companies are only hearing a faint echo in the American public's empty wallet.
We've all heard the adage, "Cutting advertising to save money is like stopping your clock to save time." Perhaps these car companies and their agencies are taking that to heart. It seems a genre that I usually feel is mediocre at best has been revving its engine and turning out some great work.
The Dodge Charger Commercial, voice-over by Michael C Hall, is well written and visually interesting. Who are these dudes blankly staring at me and my husband as we fast forward through the commercial break of last week's episode of The Bachelor (which incidentally furthers their argument)? Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
I am charmed by the Kia Sorento spots featuring life-sized children's toys having the time of their lives while jet skiing, partying at clubs with ridiculously good looking people, riding a mechanical bull- all the things I might do, were I so inclined and perhaps a bit more hip. The lifestyle of a Sorento owner- who knew it entails such vivid nightlife and day-play, and yet is family-friendly to boot? Agency: David&Goliath
And lastly, the Swaggerwagon spots from Toyota Sienna are genuinely funny, employing Michael Scott-like humor. Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi LA.
Will I buy a new car because of these commercials? No. But brand awareness is high and I'm engaged.
Just as I was many years ago. I drive a Volkswagen, which is probably because I was stained by the elegance of their Drivers Wanted campaign.
Labels: Advertising, commercials, Dodge Charger, humor, Kia Sorento, Toyota
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Toyota's Media-Generated Crisis; Post-Crisis Communication
Whether you drive a Toyota Prius or have just been following the media waylay Toyota has received over the issue of the Prius's faulty breaks, it's been fascinating to see media and even D.C. politicos inform the extent of this crisis and Toyota's response - lacking or not.
Academic approaches to crisis communications (read - great scholars like Coombs, Holladay, & Ulmer) often look at the extent to which media actually inform and manifest a crisis.
For Toyota and the case of the faulty breaks and sticky gas pedals, staunch media coverage and the whole "stop driving your Toyota's" misstatement from transportation secretary LaHood, definitely seem to be manifesting a crisis that never actually happened.
I say the crisis "never actually happened" because, well, it's not like millions of Prius drivers' breaks all suddenly failed at once and a bunch of people perished. (For a more appropriate definition of a crisis, see Haiti).
Now - should faulty break and sticky gas pedal malfunctions have been addressed? Absolutely? Should Toyota have responded with recalls sooner? Probably. But the recalls are out - to the tune of 8.5 million cars and trucks, globally.
Toyota has produced (quite quickly, I might add) some television spots like this one, which practice crisis management 101: remind audience of long-established, trusted history; softly acknowledge faults; point out efforts to fix errors; talk about bright and promising future.
I actually think the messaging in this video is solid - straightforward - and affective. Granted, I don't drive a Toyota. So for those that do, are Toyota's actions sufficient in easing consumers' fears?
Or do additional media reports about an inaccessible brand and closed company culture carry more weight and implications than a 15-second TV spot with reassuring messaging can fix?
Ironically, companies with closed cultures and their ability to survive crises is also an oft-studied topic when it comes to crisis communication.
And the basic premise of many theories resulting from these studies?
If you have a tight-lipped, inaccessible corporate culture and you or your product encounters risk or an actual crisis, media are going to attack you corporate practices right along with the risk/crisis.
Which is to say, media-generated crisis or not, it's still a crisis.
And I believe it takes a lot more (read corporate culture overhaul) than a creative commercial spot to make the crisis subside.
Academic approaches to crisis communications (read - great scholars like Coombs, Holladay, & Ulmer) often look at the extent to which media actually inform and manifest a crisis.
For Toyota and the case of the faulty breaks and sticky gas pedals, staunch media coverage and the whole "stop driving your Toyota's" misstatement from transportation secretary LaHood, definitely seem to be manifesting a crisis that never actually happened.
I say the crisis "never actually happened" because, well, it's not like millions of Prius drivers' breaks all suddenly failed at once and a bunch of people perished. (For a more appropriate definition of a crisis, see Haiti).
Now - should faulty break and sticky gas pedal malfunctions have been addressed? Absolutely? Should Toyota have responded with recalls sooner? Probably. But the recalls are out - to the tune of 8.5 million cars and trucks, globally.
Toyota has produced (quite quickly, I might add) some television spots like this one, which practice crisis management 101: remind audience of long-established, trusted history; softly acknowledge faults; point out efforts to fix errors; talk about bright and promising future.
I actually think the messaging in this video is solid - straightforward - and affective. Granted, I don't drive a Toyota. So for those that do, are Toyota's actions sufficient in easing consumers' fears?
Or do additional media reports about an inaccessible brand and closed company culture carry more weight and implications than a 15-second TV spot with reassuring messaging can fix?
Ironically, companies with closed cultures and their ability to survive crises is also an oft-studied topic when it comes to crisis communication.
And the basic premise of many theories resulting from these studies?
If you have a tight-lipped, inaccessible corporate culture and you or your product encounters risk or an actual crisis, media are going to attack you corporate practices right along with the risk/crisis.
Which is to say, media-generated crisis or not, it's still a crisis.
And I believe it takes a lot more (read corporate culture overhaul) than a creative commercial spot to make the crisis subside.
Labels: crisis communication, crisis response, Media, Public Relations, Toyota
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