Volkswagen has been airing some new TV advertisements touting the safety of their latest Jetta model. These ads, two which can be seen here and here, are pretty high on the shock value. They show the passengers getting involved in a real-time accident, which would be quite fatal if not for the safety features of the car. The selling point, I guess, is that every driver has a chance to get into accidents - so why not buy a car where you can come out relatively unscatched. From USA Today:
In one ad, viewers are along for the ride as a driver is chatting with a friend. A truck suddenly backs into their path, causing an air-bag-inflating crash. In the other, two couples are discussing a movie they’ve just seen, when a truck hits them broadside. In the aftermath, viewers see the passengers shaken but uninjured, then the screen quickly reads: “Safe happens.”
After watching these ads on TV, I started wondering quite a bit about them. Of course, I was not alone - seems like they created quite a buzz on the blogosphere as well as the MSM. That the ad is being talked about so much is probably good news by itself for the company (the old adage of ‘there is no bad publicity’). The main question is, of course, will it help sell stuff. Current anecdotal evidence is suggesting that some people are getting influenced by the ad while buying their car. As this story on USA Today says:
Volkswagen says that since the ads touting Jetta’s crash safety began on April 10, requests for brochures are up 37% at call centers and 56% on the Web compared with the first 15 days of March, and Internet requests for dealer price quotes are up 58%.
…….
Despite the spike in Jetta interest, one auto marketing expert thinks the jarring campaign will dampen sales in the long run. “The vast majority of consumers are going to be turned off by it and they will take VW off their shopping lists,” says Art Spinella, president of research firm CNW Marketing.
But not Angelique Domangue, 33, a marketing specialist from Baton Rouge She bought a black, $19,000 Jetta on April 22 because of the ads. She’d been test driving new cars since December when a driver ran a stop sign and smashed her Toyota Corolla.
“I saw the commercial and it hit home,” she says. “Until you are involved in an accident like that you don’t realize how shocking it really is.”
VW admits reactions vary, but says the ads have gotten people to think about the brand and safety.
Personally, I think the commercials might just backfire on VW. You cannot deny that the ads have a shock value and may well find their way into the national zeitgeist. But do you really want to remind people about the most negative aspect of driving on roads while they are making up their minds to buy something worth $20,000-odd ? Do you want people thinking - ‘Oh Jetta - that car that got into an accident!’ ? Also, in a way the ads are showing irresponsible driving - the driver in both cases is distracted by talking. Even though quite a few drivers out thereare like that - does VW really want to imply it in their ads ? IMO, this is somewhat similar to Quantas trying to convince people to fly with them by advertising itself as the airline with no fatal accidents in its history (remember Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man ?).
Of course the way I perceived the ad might be quite different from how the general population appreciates it. I believe in ‘active safety‘ ie making sure that I do my best to not get into accidents , whereas a large number of American rely on ‘passive safety‘ ie ensuring that in case of an accident, the car and its passengers will remain undamaged. It is the latter class that really buys into the ‘SUV as a safe vehicle’ propaganda. So the ad could be a hit with people worried about passive safety, but who do not want to drive a gas-guzzling SUV.
However, in the end, you do have to praise VW for taking such a risk. The company does have a history of making innovative and impactful car commercials. The usual automobile commercials in the USA are quite bland - most involve the car in question blazing down a picturesque highway (usually some mountainous region) or through a desert in driving situations the typical consumer is as probable to encounter as an UFO spaceship landing in their backyard. Apart from the Mazda ‘zoom-zoom’, I have difficultly telling most brands apart from each other1. VW ads on the other hand are usually quirky and very often have nothing to do with the car itself - but focuses more on the nature of the consumer (for example see this funny ‘Umpimp my ride‘ ad for the VW Golf)
1 This is a bit of an exaggeration - I love cars and would be quite ashamed not to be able to identify any model in a TV ad. However, the point I was trying to make is that some of these commercials are so similar that they seem to blur into an ubiquitous haze.
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5 Comments
May 3, 2006 at 9:25 am
Yoho,
I saw the ads and since I had already read about it, I tried not to get influenced by it. But I see your point. It does make a point and drives the truth closer to us.
May 3, 2006 at 9:59 am
Hey! I liked your definition of active safety.
However, Active safety in cars is an actual term that encompasses safety systems like ABS, Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control. I recently saw an ad for the BMW X3 that avoids an obstacle on a rainy highway and stil maintains stabilty at the end of the manuever.
Both Active and Safety are making the cars better and safer. Though I wonder if these systems make us drive faster. Since I know I have stabilty control on my car, I fear I find myself pushing much too hard on sloshy corners.
Anyways, I digress. Liked your blog.
May 3, 2006 at 10:46 am
Great point. It started me wondering whether I would go for the Jetta if I was planning to buy a car and chanced on the ad… I think the ad would only add to my recall. The real factor, recos from friends, plays the biggest role
May 3, 2006 at 11:13 am
@Confused: question is - do you get turned off by the truth or not
@Dushyant: Actually, I was trying to use the actual term ‘active safety’ - but in a loose sense. What I meant was that cars that give me more control so that I can best ‘avoid accidents’. More compact the car - the better it is at maneuvering, especially compared to the bulky SUVs (no matter what kind of Stability Control it has). Anyway, in this ad, Jetta is trying to promote the passive safety bit.
As for safety features influencing your driving - I have no problems with people driving faster, as long long as they are aware of the limitations of the car. Unfortunately, too many morons out there don’t. I get particularly irked by the SUV drivers who think that having all-wheel drive, traction control etc makes it okay for them to speed on icy/snowy roads and that ABS will make them stop faster !!
Thanks for the compliment - liked your blog too - have left a comment there (in your Acura ‘06 post)
@PP: Jettas are usually good cars - although some friends have had electrical problems with older ones. However, I did not really like their new redesign.
July 31, 2006 at 12:00 am
Everyone I have talked to about this commercial - hates it… It is like dirving in the car and on the radio you hear an insurance commercial that plays the sound of tires screaching and you can just feel your shoulders rising up to the top of your head… Tense…. I absolutely hate the commercial because it reminds me of an accident I was in - very similar… And no, I do not think wow - I need a Jetta.. I think about the past…. But hey - they are getting a rise from it, which is what marketing is all about… Get the people talking!
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