"I'd Have Pink Lights In It": On The New Ford Ads and "Regular" People

In late October of 2009, a series of quick-hitting, Youtube-inspired, 15-second commercials for the Ford Motor Company received a meaningful amount of airtime. There were five commercials in total, each featuring a real Ford owner, (probably) under the age of 30, describing a (usually) kitschy aspect of their Ford car or SUV and why it appeals to their driving style, life style, or general sense of self.

There are many car commercials that air on TV, and almost all of them focus upon one of four well-established and "serious" aspects of automobile ownership: reliability, safety, resale value, and/or fuel efficiency. The logic behind creating these types of car commercials is obvious and based upon a relatively long-standing view of what people think of when they buy cars.

Fundamental in the process is the fact that cars are extremely expensive and it's assumed that people want to purchase something reliable, safe, and that is conservative with fuel. They also want some value for their purchase - when they trade their car in or sell it privately, their car should be worth something.

The dilemma faced by US automakers is that they're selling products with (mostly) inferior reliability, fuel efficiency, and resale value. This is not me speaking out of my ass - this is the actual data talking. If you are a US automaker, how, then, do you get people to buy your products?

Enter Kristen. Owner of a new Ford Escape, Kristen isn't an eye-blink older than 25, really likes the color pink and doesn't know (or seemingly care) when her car needs an oil change. Luckily, her new S.U.V. provides both the flexibility to change the color of its interior lighting (Pink for everybody! OMG, let's watch "So You Think You Can Dance" while sucking on lollipops!) and the ability to have real-time "Vehicle Health Reports" sent to her via text message or E-mail.

These commercials (which have been getting LOTS of airplay during NFL Sundays and also during the 2009 baseball playoffs) are obviously - and, perhaps, sickeningly - geared toward the "casual" car buyer. These ads are not for individuals who are going to pore over back issues of Consumer Reports before purchasing a car. Resale value and fuel efficiency cannot be extremely important to these types of car owners, because these types of car owners mostly long ago switched to Toyota or Honda.

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Because I was interested in what the general public thinks of these commercials, I decided to conduct some half-assed Internet research. Within 30 seconds of Googling "Ford stupid girl tv ads", I found a recent blog post on the aptly-titled Autoblog.com. Along with helpful embedded Youtube videos of each of the new Ford ads, I found a collection of smarter-than-average Internet comments.

Some of these comments were as follows (and I recommend reading all of them if you're like me interested in the machinations behind a daring and controversial ad campaign):

"Simple, product/feature-oriented, honest. No glitz, no hyperbole."

"They're simple, short, and sweet commercials. They focus on the merit of the product alone, and don't try to say something foolish like "HEY LOOK! We compare to the Accord! Please believe us!" This is the advertising focus that Ford has been missing, something that more subtly gives the consumer the idea that Ford has reached a level of superiority."

"I think Ford is on the right track with these real customer ads conveying the details of all the unique technology and features that Ford offers. Its a unique and different way to explain the benefits of owning a Ford and a logical extension of the "Drive One" campaign and social marketing... Plus, having all these 15 seconds ads on YouTube makes it real easy (cheap too) to spread the word around the web... smart!"

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What did I think of these new Ford commercials? Oh, I hated them.

I'll admit the following, and you may hate me for this because it makes me sound elitist, but I am elitist and it's the truth: I strongly dislike just about every piece of advertising that pitches to "regular" people.

I put "regular" in quotes, but I think that you more or less know what I mean. I hate every advertisement for McDonald's, Walmart, Lee Jeans, Wrangler Jeans, Coors, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Bud Light, Taco Bell, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Pizza Hut, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and any TV commercial involving Brett Favre, John Mellencamp, or Howie Long.

I hate every commercial that tries to reaffirm to stupid, poor people that it is acceptable to be stupid and poor. I hate all commercials which appeal to the fuzzy and ill-defined spending proclivities of the lowest common denominator, and I hate every commercial that states "now more than ever," "every penny counts", "these days" or uses the word "value."

(*NOTE: I also can't stand those Lexus commercials that advocate giving a loved one a $45,000 car for Christmas, but because this opinion is unrelated to my larger point, I'm going to leave it at that.)

I realize why all of the commercials and products I've mentioned above exist - because entire markets exist in this country solely because there are stupid people out there with money to spend - but I still hate them. They're against my values and what I think every person should strive to be (or to become). However, I still love (and often eat) the Big Mac. I am nothing if not a hypocrite.

My point, long-winding as ever, is this: I am one of those people who finds something attractive in difficult puzzles to solve. I can break down the ethos and cultural meaning of these Ford commercials until the cows come home, but there is in reality very little for me to break down. These commercials are not a new episode of "Mad Men." They are very much like an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance?".

As stated in the Internet comment that I cited earlier, these ads are remarkable mostly in their simplicity. As a consequence, they appeal to those who would buy a car based on "gimmicks" rather than statistics. (My girlfriend would argue that, as a direct extension of this point, these new commercials are sexist. If she chooses to elaborate on this point in the comments, I'll let her.)

As for me, the latte-sipping elitist? I would never buy a Ford, unless the data suggested it were a good idea. I, my devoted readers, am a lame-O. A square. I do not care much for the color pink, I know when my car needs an oil change, and this is why I drive a Civic.

Stay classy out there.