Recently, I was watching television and I came across a commercial for the 2012 Nissan Frontier. The commercial showed a 2012 Nissan Frontier driving down a snowy slope. At the bottom of the screen it states, "Fantasy. Trucks can't snowboard. Do not attempt." While watching this commercial I began to wonder, why does this car commercial market its product with something it can't actually do?
Yes, it is true that it was exciting and interesting to watch a truck slide down a mountain, but in no way did that entice me to buy a 2012 Nissan Frontier. The commercial expressed no features of the actual truck. This confuses me because I believe that not marketing the features of the actual product are hurting Nissan.
Car commercials should express what the average car buyer wants to see. Through my extensive personal viewing of many car commercials, people nowadays are looking for a more practical car. People are looking for safety features that will protect them and the others in the car with them. Take the commercial for the new Volkswagon Jetta for example. This commercial expresses a level of safety and family values that many consumers find endearing. I believe that a commercial like this expressing the safety features of the car is more valuable in marketing than a commercial of a 2012 Nissan Frontier doing impossible things. But is there some value in marketing to parading around a car doing fictional stunts?
Here are the links for the two car commercials:
2012 Nissan Frontier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95bpVJJlI6s&feature=related
2012 Volkswagon Jetta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtYPhBK61d0
