Every year, we all see thousands of auto ads while watching television. The auto makers spend millions and millions of dollars (perhaps billions) on TV commercials that are made to show off their latest models and features of the new cars. Only about 10 million new cars are sold every year in the US, and while the auto makers know this, they are hoping that when the time comes for us to buy a new vehicle we would remember their ads and decide on their vehicles.I do not believe TV ads work for the auto companies for a few reasons:
1.) Not everyone is looking for a new car. These ads become untargeted, uninteresting, and once again, ignored by the large portion of the TV viewers. I don't believe that TV commercials are the way people gather info on new vehicles.
2.) They all blur together. Auto makers are stuck in a cycle of releasing new commercials because that is "what you do." The more that they try to make them new, the more they all blend into one giant blur or leather interiors, financing offers, and great gas mileage (at least they tell us it is). The blur then becomes spam and ignored.
3.) There have been so many TV ads over the past 20 years, that we ignore them now (or rage about how much we hate them). We already know that Ford is tough (once again, this what they tell us) and that Caravans have a lot of storage for soccer gear. If auto makers only spent money on an ad when they had something truly exciting to tell us about their product, we would probably listen. Unless a car commercial presents something significantly different (and I'm not talking new graphics, I'm talking alternate fuels, etc), they will be ignored.
Think of the last car ad you saw. I can picture maybe 3 car ads in the past 10 years that I actually remember or liked. If I was to look at getting a new car, I would search places like Consumer Reports and talk to friends and family about their recommendations. Of all the conversations I have had with others about buying a vehicle, not once has a car commercial entered into the discussion.
I just can't see how all the money spent on TV ads can be worth it for auto makers. What do you think? Are automotive ads worth it for the car companies?