Will 'Crazy Larry' Be Leaving Car Advertising? If not, at least one person gets it.


I was churning out some serious cardio mileage at the new fancy shmancy YMCA Nashville this past Friday. I was in a zone. No distractions could break me. Suddenly, my attention was seized by a TV ad for Action Nissan. It demanded my attention. It was so unusual and unique versus other car dealerships.

Here's the big surprise - there was no "crazy Larry" screaming his head off. No host showing off cute children assuming I'll be mesmerized into buying a car. "Gee, I get it. Your kids are cute so you must know a lot about cars?" No damsels tempting me to taste the forbidden fruit of great deals. No, the Action Nissan ad was unlike any other car advertiser of recent memory. It treated me like a smart consumer!

I have no idea who produced the TV commercials, but I guess that makes this less self-serving. Action Nissan actually stood out and created great awareness by being different (Marketing 101). Their message was clean, simple and informative (it was also nicely produced for whomever did it). Sure, they are pushing products like the next guy, but they didn't look like the next guy. I even went to their web site, and lo and behold, it reflected the same design and messaging as the TV spot. Continuity! What a glorious day it is! Hope is not lost. A change is coming in the world of marketing. Action Nissan is proof. And we can all be a part of it! Yes we can! Yes we can!

3 comments:

  1. I agree. Benchmark with competitors then take it to a different place. In fact, look at other industries and get inspired so that you don't look like your competitors at all. Nicely done, Steve. Happy to see your blog!

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  2. Yes Steve. Nicely done. Eloquently put.

    G

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  3. Chandler, one car dealer not acting like a car dealer is great, but there is a long way to go. It would be interesting to learn if this shift drove (punn intended) more test drives and sales. Low end Advertisers tend to like to conform to what others are doing (comfort zone), one trail blazer might be able to pull ahead of the pack for awhile. Good advertising's goal is to pursuade the target to try the product once, then it is up to the product to keep the promise. If it doesn't, Crazy Larry (return to the herd) might not be extinct after all. Peter Jardine

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