Have you recently had the sensation sitting at your desk and seeing images of your friends and family enjoying themselves on a maskless summer vacation? I have, and I expect you have too. It’s an odd sensation because I am happy for my friends and family while simultaneously questioning the safety of vacation or travel.
Come On America…
I like the copy in this Kia commercial. At the same time, the impulse to “road trip” right now is so strong, it makes this spot an easy answer.
Kia is far from alone in its idealization of the American road adventure. Beat novels and hippie films made the road trip part of the cultural fabric in this country.
Today, manufacturers have cars to sell and RVs to sell.
I enjoyed reading Ernie Schenck’s commentary on the above spot. Facebook is good for some things…
I don’t own an RV. I’m never going to own an RV. RV’s have about as much appeal for me as cruise ships. Nonetheless, I love this spot. It makes me happy. It says a lot about life in the Covid era without saying a damn thing about the Covid era. Nice job, Barkley. Thought we were done with crowdsourcing but this one time, I’m going to look the other way.
It’s important to note that Willie Nelson is not on the road again. He’s sheltering at home, where it’s reasonably safe.
Honda Asks That You “Be Moved Again”
“At Honda, we believe that brands cannot just go back to former communication messages, as if nothing had happened. Brands need to be conscious of how the past few months has affected their customers, adjust their communication with emotional intelligence, and adapt themselves to the new normal,‘’ says Fabrice Estève, Head of Marketing at Honda Motor Europe
The brand’s new campaign ‘Be Moved Again’, conceived by Sid Lee’s European bureau and Hakuhodo, is about reconnecting on an emotional level.
Are you moved or better yet, electrified? Do you want to drive so badly to anyplace other than the grocery store that you can’t stand it?
Bruno Lee, Strategy Managing Director at Sid Lee Paris (who made the spot), says, “We just tried to reassert what the brand is famous for—cars that speak to the soul of drivers, moving all of their senses. The emotions remain the same, only the technologies are now completely different.”
Q2 Grimness
According to cnet’s Road Show, Q2 was particularly tough on automotive companies.
- Acura sales dropped by 28%
- BMW’s sales fell by 39%
- Honda was down 27%
- Chevrolet down by 34%
- Buick down by 36%
- GMC down by 33%
- Cadillac down by 41%
And so on.
Kia’s commercial says it might be a while before we see American from 35,000 feet. True dat. Also, it may be a while before Americans with a steady income are ready for a new car.
