Is this the most desperate advert in the history of motoring
Discussion
TRUENOSAM said:
I have a old magazine with a similar vendetta but it was Volvo attempting to state that the "new" Volvo 340 was much the superior vehicle to the BMW 320 (E30) 
I found an old motoring supplement under the floorboards acting as carpet lining that provided a similarly good read. There was a Lada Riva advert in there from 1987 (year of the D-plate) that portrayed a person with a 'Dunce' hat (with a 'D' on it), suggesting that if you bought a second-hand car rather than a new D-plate Lada, you were an idiot.I was looking to see if anyone had by chance uploaded it when I stumbled upon this gem:
"A completely new car" (a 20-year-old Fiat)
"This handsome newcomer has a streamlined bodyline with unique two-tone coachline and recessed doorhandles" (we've painted a stripe down the side of a 20-year-old Fiat)
"The advanced 1294cc engine with belt drive overhead cam gives powerful performance and a quiet ride" (we've fitted a 20-year old Fiat with a stripe down the side with an engine from a new tractor)
"Lada's reputation for safety is evident in the Riva which has several standard features especially designed for safer motoring" (This bestriped, tractor-engined 20-year-old Fiat has slightly better headlights with wipers, a legally-required laminated windscreen and rubber bits on the bumpers. We've also fitted seatbelts and brakes)
And then on top of all that they try and make out that this stripey, ageing tractor-engined Fiat with its headlights, windscreen, bumpers, seatbelts and brakes is some kind of luxury saloon:
i do like the way that the adverts are based on facts and a persuasive argument, rather than a picture of a car with some massive alloys.
and I also like the way that some of the features listed as impressive in adverts of this era a were probably things to be quite proud of at the time.
simpler times i guess, I kind of just about remember cars like this. (born 1982)
and I also like the way that some of the features listed as impressive in adverts of this era a were probably things to be quite proud of at the time.
simpler times i guess, I kind of just about remember cars like this. (born 1982)
Dangerous2 said:
i do like the way that the adverts are based on facts and a persuasive argument, rather than a picture of a car with some massive alloys.
I would like that, except that if you read between the lines it transpires the 'facts' are nothing special and the 'persuasive argument' is seriously flawed.I know what you mean about more straightforward adverts and I am sick and tired of the whole 'lifestyle' bulls
t that seems to have infected so many peoples' lives to the point where they can't look at themselves in the mirror without thinking about the person their 'lifestyle' demands them to be.There's that old marketer's adage of 'sell the sizzle, not the sausage'. Well I'm sorry, the sizzle means nothing to me. I'll decide what I consider to be 'sizzle', just tell me what's in the sausage.
I reckon it was the '70s when the rot set in. If you look at '60s car ads they're basically a spec list and explanations of technical things. By the time we got to the '70s, whilst you still got a bit of that, we got lots of cars on beaches and moody-looking men in sunglasses giving lifts to adoring women in maxi-dresses.
Dangerous2 said:
and I also like the way that some of the features listed as impressive in adverts of this era a were probably things to be quite proud of at the time.
simpler times i guess, I kind of just about remember cars like this. (born 1982)
I'm a similar age ('83) and remember cars like this too. However, the stuff they're making a virtue of was standard on nearly all their competitors too, plus these cars were old '60s designs they're passing off as brand new, advanced machines.simpler times i guess, I kind of just about remember cars like this. (born 1982)
kambites said:
911motorsport said:
Then there was always this ad too!
To be fair, 0-60 in 6.7 seconds is still respectable for a hot hatch today. Back then it was pretty damned quick. Golf mk5 GTI 6.6s
Astra VXR 6.2s
Mazda MPS3 6.1s
Definitely not too shabby by todays standards. Be interesting to know if it actually handled any better or worse than those above.
Probably true. I haven't driven a Turbo. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff