The worst thing about a car advert is when they try to convince you that it’s the best car for you. And more often than not, it isn’t even close to that. So how does an agency attempt to convince an audience that a particular car is best for them?
FCB Joburg recently launched a new Hilux ad showing the newest model, the Legend 45. It celebrates the rugged history of the Hilux by showing every model since its birth in 1969. It pays homage to 45 years of the Hilux, essentially showing the new one as being the culmination of every model ever made.
What the advert also shows is the various models on a journey up a mountain with the Legend 45 making the final climb to the summit. This is a clever yet subtle way of showing that the Legend 45 is the best of all their previous models. It helps create a sense of authority, dominance and achievement without using a single figure or fact.
I recently saw a Hilux advert for Toyota Australia. It was about how tough men who drive Hilux’s are. I enjoyed it not because it was hysterically funny, but because it reminded me of how “tough” the Hilux actually is. It clearly portrays the ultimate benefit of owning a Toyota Hilux, which, for me, is what a Hilux ad should be. It needs to show exactly what it’s made to do and for who.
In this advert, FCB seemed to try and use the history of the Hilux as a selling point and I think it works. It isn’t your average car advert. It doesn’t attempt to shove figures down your throat, which is quite refreshing. It uses the history of a hugely successful and popular car to bolster the image of the latest model. Something I think the audience will appreciate, particularly owners of the previous models.
[Reviewed by Guy Grovè, a media advertising and communications student at the Red & Yellow School.]
Client: Toyota South Africa
General Manager Marketing Communications: Kerry Roodt
Senior Manager: Advertising: Natasha Eddie
Manager: Advertising Nkateko Shilenge:
Agency: FCB Joburg
Chief Creative Officer: Brett Morris
Executive Business Unit Director: Mike Di Terlizzi
Creative Director: Tian van den Heever
Art Director: Ross Makepeace
Copywriter: Francois Delport
Producer: Noeleen Burley
Account Director: Greg Baker
Production Credits:
Bioscope Production House
Director: Hylton Tannenbaum
Producer: Daniel Kaplan
Audio: Produce
Final Picture: Blade
Edit: Left Production
