2009 Acura TSX commercials
04-23-2008 | 06:29 PM
#43
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Originally Posted by davidspalding
Well the Infiniti looks like an angry fish from FINDING NEMO. "Hey, puddlejumpin' a-hole. Get out of my lane. I'm swimmin' here, I'm swimmin' here...!"
anyways, just saw the new TSX commercial on tv, haha the one where the guy is at the club.
04-29-2008 | 09:38 AM
#44
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Article
Acura: A New Generation Arrives
April 28, 2008
-By Gregory Solman
RPA's latest work for Acura takes some unexpected turns.
LOS ANGELES Repositioning Acura's TSX luxury model to a younger buyer, RPA's campaign uses hip-hop music, Joe Pytka-directed commercials featuring young singles going out to clubs and introduces "A new generation has arrived" as the tagline.
"It is being repositioned to both a younger [media] audience and to a younger buyer, when you think about what Acura had done with the technology and styling," said Pat Mendelson, svp, creative director, independent RPA, Santa Monica, Calif., who wrote the copy teamed with art director Mark Erwin in what will be their last collaboration on the brand.
Mendelson said that the agency's research showed the young buyer is in his early 30s, is more likely to be entrepreneurial, comfortable with technology such as iVTech engines, and "confident that they will make it and do something amazing in the world."
Actor James Spader's voiceover intermixes urban poetry with product features. "Sometimes luxury needs to howl at the moon, find a rare grass-fed steak in a red-leather booth and invite all its friends," he says in the 60-second "Howl," as singles pour out of their cars and into clubs and upscale eateries. A man and woman who'd caught each other's eye at dinner end up flirting on the dance floor.
"IVTech luxury," which will also be shown in 15-, 30- and 60-second executions, mixes Citizen Cope hip-hop and the morning after at an Los Angeles-area beach with flashbacks of a club-scene hookup from the night before. "This isn't the soft kind of luxury. This is start a business, sell it and start another one," goes the narration. "This is advanced digital iVTech luxury. It can find you an uncrowded highway or a crowded club."
Print and outdoor echoes the broadcast thematically with both art and copy: "Old luxury has a glass of warm milk and turns in early," reads one spread. "Modern luxury goes out all night and still makes it into the office by eight."
Nontraditional efforts include product integration of the TSX and RL into a TNT crime-thriller microseries that will premiere in the late summer simultaneously on TNT and TNT.tv online.
Mendelson said that the lush, sexy, narrative of the work, which he acknowledged is reminiscent of DDB's 1986 "The night belongs to Michelob" ads, moves away from straightforward luxe-feature boasting. "I don't think it overdoes the romance and the fantasy, because there is a kind of realism and emotion in Pytka's texture," he said. "And while the campaign doesn't present a manifesto, [it] looks at the change in luxury that's going on, too."
Erwin and Mendelson, who partnered on Acura for the last three years, have been reassigned to other brands within the agency. Mendelson said he had mixed emotions about moving back to Honda, but added that he was "very happy about how our last campaign turned out."
Acura spent $230 million on measured media in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
Sales of Acura, a unit of American Honda Motors, Torrance, Calif., are down 14 percent to 38,000 units through March, per Car Concepts, Thousand Oaks, Calif. The TSX model is down 23 percent.
April 28, 2008
-By Gregory Solman
RPA's latest work for Acura takes some unexpected turns.
LOS ANGELES Repositioning Acura's TSX luxury model to a younger buyer, RPA's campaign uses hip-hop music, Joe Pytka-directed commercials featuring young singles going out to clubs and introduces "A new generation has arrived" as the tagline.
"It is being repositioned to both a younger [media] audience and to a younger buyer, when you think about what Acura had done with the technology and styling," said Pat Mendelson, svp, creative director, independent RPA, Santa Monica, Calif., who wrote the copy teamed with art director Mark Erwin in what will be their last collaboration on the brand.
Mendelson said that the agency's research showed the young buyer is in his early 30s, is more likely to be entrepreneurial, comfortable with technology such as iVTech engines, and "confident that they will make it and do something amazing in the world."
Actor James Spader's voiceover intermixes urban poetry with product features. "Sometimes luxury needs to howl at the moon, find a rare grass-fed steak in a red-leather booth and invite all its friends," he says in the 60-second "Howl," as singles pour out of their cars and into clubs and upscale eateries. A man and woman who'd caught each other's eye at dinner end up flirting on the dance floor.
"IVTech luxury," which will also be shown in 15-, 30- and 60-second executions, mixes Citizen Cope hip-hop and the morning after at an Los Angeles-area beach with flashbacks of a club-scene hookup from the night before. "This isn't the soft kind of luxury. This is start a business, sell it and start another one," goes the narration. "This is advanced digital iVTech luxury. It can find you an uncrowded highway or a crowded club."
Print and outdoor echoes the broadcast thematically with both art and copy: "Old luxury has a glass of warm milk and turns in early," reads one spread. "Modern luxury goes out all night and still makes it into the office by eight."
Nontraditional efforts include product integration of the TSX and RL into a TNT crime-thriller microseries that will premiere in the late summer simultaneously on TNT and TNT.tv online.
Mendelson said that the lush, sexy, narrative of the work, which he acknowledged is reminiscent of DDB's 1986 "The night belongs to Michelob" ads, moves away from straightforward luxe-feature boasting. "I don't think it overdoes the romance and the fantasy, because there is a kind of realism and emotion in Pytka's texture," he said. "And while the campaign doesn't present a manifesto, [it] looks at the change in luxury that's going on, too."
Erwin and Mendelson, who partnered on Acura for the last three years, have been reassigned to other brands within the agency. Mendelson said he had mixed emotions about moving back to Honda, but added that he was "very happy about how our last campaign turned out."
Acura spent $230 million on measured media in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
Sales of Acura, a unit of American Honda Motors, Torrance, Calif., are down 14 percent to 38,000 units through March, per Car Concepts, Thousand Oaks, Calif. The TSX model is down 23 percent.
04-29-2008 | 10:41 AM
#45
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From: Somewhere between 70 and 125 mph
This is actually more notable IMHO.
Sales Down, Honda Gets Acura Unit at RPA A new division separates Acura from Honda; new creative team steps in, led by new hire John Hage (March 17, 2008)
And for those who whine that they don't see how the TSX is meant to be competing with BMW's 3-series,...
Sales Down, Honda Gets Acura Unit at RPA A new division separates Acura from Honda; new creative team steps in, led by new hire John Hage (March 17, 2008)
And for those who whine that they don't see how the TSX is meant to be competing with BMW's 3-series,...
Originally Posted by Adweek
Acura Defines Turf As Japanese Chase BMW
Honda nameplate's new campaign distinguishes it from Lexus, Infiniti (Nov 7, 2005)
With the upscale divisions of the big-three Japanese automakers all chasing BMW's benchmark 3 Series, it's Acura's turn to zero in on a positioning. It does so in seven new 30-second TV commercials.
Independent RPA in Santa Monica, Calif. unveils the work this week and next for the American Honda Motor Co. nameplate. "Everyone has taken a territory to own," said RPA creative director Mark Erwin, who partners with cd Pat Mendelson. "We've taken advanced living through modern luxury."
That positioning sets Acura apart from Nissan's Infiniti, which is emphasizing luxury through design, and from Toyota's Lexus, which is stressing design and performance. Infiniti and Lexus both unveiled new work earlier this fall. All three campaigns, in their own way, look to chip away at the strengths of BMW.
The new Acura campaign is emphatically urban- and lifestyle-oriented and aimed at young professionals. In "Voices," one new spot, people rolling in their Acura TLs place wireless office calls and bark out commands for directions and restaurant reservations. The brand's new voiceover artist, Boston Legal actor James Spader, suggests the confident, master-of-the-universe driver. "Of all its abilities," he says of the Acura, "listening might be its most impressive." The new tagline in two spots is, "Always advancing."
One spot leaves the urban landscape: "Distance" is set on a remote road to demonstrate a radar-guided braking feature. The voiceover explains that a "collision mitigation breaking system" detects an object ahead, warns the driver and "gives your reflexes a head start."
The campaign is driven by visual effects, with busy frames and optical tricks suggesting magical connections between the driver and the outside world of active lifestyles. In "Pixilated," everything in a cityscape but the Acura shimmers in digital data blocks, from skyscrapers to water puddles. The voiceover implores drivers to "seize the digital day" with the "computer-enhanced, satellite-linked" Acura.
"Seamless" uses windshield frames and window movement for smooth editing wipes and transitions, creating the illusion of effortless interplay with features like traffic monitoring and restaurant-ratings retrieval.
"A lot of research has led us to carve out this brand identity," said Susie Rossick, national advertising manager for Acura in Torrance, Calif. "We've identified a group that's in the know, much more independent, looking for things in their car that are part of their lifestyle. They enjoy a level of prestige in being opinion makers." ... (continues)
Honda nameplate's new campaign distinguishes it from Lexus, Infiniti (Nov 7, 2005)
With the upscale divisions of the big-three Japanese automakers all chasing BMW's benchmark 3 Series, it's Acura's turn to zero in on a positioning. It does so in seven new 30-second TV commercials.
Independent RPA in Santa Monica, Calif. unveils the work this week and next for the American Honda Motor Co. nameplate. "Everyone has taken a territory to own," said RPA creative director Mark Erwin, who partners with cd Pat Mendelson. "We've taken advanced living through modern luxury."
That positioning sets Acura apart from Nissan's Infiniti, which is emphasizing luxury through design, and from Toyota's Lexus, which is stressing design and performance. Infiniti and Lexus both unveiled new work earlier this fall. All three campaigns, in their own way, look to chip away at the strengths of BMW.
The new Acura campaign is emphatically urban- and lifestyle-oriented and aimed at young professionals. In "Voices," one new spot, people rolling in their Acura TLs place wireless office calls and bark out commands for directions and restaurant reservations. The brand's new voiceover artist, Boston Legal actor James Spader, suggests the confident, master-of-the-universe driver. "Of all its abilities," he says of the Acura, "listening might be its most impressive." The new tagline in two spots is, "Always advancing."
One spot leaves the urban landscape: "Distance" is set on a remote road to demonstrate a radar-guided braking feature. The voiceover explains that a "collision mitigation breaking system" detects an object ahead, warns the driver and "gives your reflexes a head start."
The campaign is driven by visual effects, with busy frames and optical tricks suggesting magical connections between the driver and the outside world of active lifestyles. In "Pixilated," everything in a cityscape but the Acura shimmers in digital data blocks, from skyscrapers to water puddles. The voiceover implores drivers to "seize the digital day" with the "computer-enhanced, satellite-linked" Acura.
"Seamless" uses windshield frames and window movement for smooth editing wipes and transitions, creating the illusion of effortless interplay with features like traffic monitoring and restaurant-ratings retrieval.
"A lot of research has led us to carve out this brand identity," said Susie Rossick, national advertising manager for Acura in Torrance, Calif. "We've identified a group that's in the know, much more independent, looking for things in their car that are part of their lifestyle. They enjoy a level of prestige in being opinion makers." ... (continues)
05-05-2008 | 08:34 PM
#46
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Courtesy Acura
05-05-2008 | 09:49 PM
#47
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From: Versailles, KY
Originally Posted by TSX69
05-06-2008 | 07:55 AM
#50
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From: Versailles, KY
Originally Posted by davidspalding
"That's right!" (That's so Seventies. Yow. Git down, Courtesy Acura.)The girl is much better reflection of Kentucky.
05-07-2008 | 02:28 PM
#52
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From: So Cal
Originally Posted by davidspalding
"That's right!" (That's so Seventies. Yow. Git down, Courtesy Acura.)
05-07-2008 | 02:43 PM
#54
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From: Versailles, KY
Originally Posted by VTEC Racer
That totally ruined the commercial IMO. It went from being mildly classy to downright cheap. Most people watching it on TV probably won't even be able to understand what he is saying.
Remember it is just a local commercial and take it from me that is a pretty typical central Kentucky accent, albeit an exaggerated one
05-07-2008 | 02:52 PM
#56
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From: Versailles, KY
Originally Posted by Mokos23
In KY, do you see more domestics than imports there?
Lexus and BMW are more popular than Cadillac.
05-07-2008 | 03:04 PM
#58
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From: Versailles, KY
Originally Posted by Mokos23
so i'm assuming Acuras are rare cars there. when i was in Nashville, I hardly saw any imports, it was mostly domestics there and huge ass trucks. I wonder how TSXinTN feels.
Central KY is a little different than some other parts of the state due to all of the horse farms, i.e. a lot of horse farm money. They tend to drive more Lexus and BMW however.
05-07-2008 | 04:21 PM
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Something I can't gauge for being too close is: how are the yuppies in the commercials perceived by everyone else? When other people who can only afford a $10 - $20G car see the TSX commercial depicting young well groomed snobs being sold a car as an essential part of the snob lifestyle do they think "that could be me someday" or do they think "fashion obsessed snobs drive TSX's, I hope that's never me." ?
To me the commercials seem extremely patronizing for selling the car like some kind of beauty accessory for the economicly advantaged but maybe I'm out of touch.
To me the commercials seem extremely patronizing for selling the car like some kind of beauty accessory for the economicly advantaged but maybe I'm out of touch.
05-07-2008 | 05:16 PM
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If I was going to design a car for the people in the commercial I'd build in an emergency ironing board, hand sanitizer holders, integrated air freshener, a second rear view mirror aimed directly back at the driver and I'd have the navi's current location arrow in the shape of a heart or a #1 because that will always be accurate.
05-07-2008 | 09:03 PM
#62
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From: So Cal
Originally Posted by wackura
If I was going to design a car for the people in the commercial I'd build in an emergency ironing board, hand sanitizer holders, integrated air freshener, a second rear view mirror aimed directly back at the driver and I'd have the navi's current location arrow in the shape of a heart or a #1 because that will always be accurate.
I too wonder though what non Honda/Acura people think of the commercials.
05-07-2008 | 10:04 PM
#63
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The new TSX ads seem so awkward, its like the girl and guy are out of place trying to be cool, they see each other so they can meet and get out of their and go do rich people stuff and drive in his luxury sedan. Like they are at a punk show, with the 19 year olds, they don't look like that type of people.
So TSX drivers are posers who pretend to be young and pretend to be rich? Is that the message?
So TSX drivers are posers who pretend to be young and pretend to be rich? Is that the message?
05-08-2008 | 11:11 AM
#66
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From: Somewhere between 70 and 125 mph
(tongue firmly in cheek)
Originally Posted by noki
The new TSX ads seem so awkward, its like the girl and guy are out of place trying to be cool, they see each other so they can meet and get out of their and go do rich people stuff and drive in his luxury sedan. Like they are at a punk show, with the 19 year olds, they don't look like that type of people.
So TSX drivers are posers who pretend to be young and pretend to be rich? Is that the message?
So TSX drivers are posers who pretend to be young and pretend to be rich? Is that the message?
Apparently. And unaware of their surroundings, and their own transparent affectation. But at least their car is cool, and that's what's important, right? 
Dom, that avatar is just ... off the radar. I mean, don't hold back, show us your true feelings.
05-08-2008 | 11:33 AM
#69
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From: Illinois
Originally Posted by dom
Its not really a representation of my feelings. It symbolizes the beating Acura is taking around here and in general.
That old beat up horse ain't dead yet!
That old beat up horse ain't dead yet!
currency of course 
05-08-2008 | 12:52 PM
#73
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From: Nashville, TN
Originally Posted by Mokos23
so i'm assuming Acuras are rare cars there. when i was in Nashville, I hardly saw any imports, it was mostly domestics there and huge ass trucks. i wonder how TSXinTN feels.
05-08-2008 | 12:55 PM
#74
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From: Nashville, TN
Originally Posted by dom
Its not really a representation of my feelings. It symbolizes the beating Acura is taking around here and in general.
That old beat up horse ain't dead yet!
That old beat up horse ain't dead yet!
Classic!
05-08-2008 | 01:20 PM
#75
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From: Toronto, Canada
Originally Posted by dom
Its not really a representation of my feelings. It symbolizes the beating Acura is taking around here and in general.
That old beat up horse ain't dead yet!
That old beat up horse ain't dead yet!
No one will understand that so I changed it.
I don't want people to think I'm an Acura hater.
05-10-2008 | 10:19 PM
#77
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Originally Posted by wackura
Something I can't gauge for being too close is: how are the yuppies in the commercials perceived by everyone else? When other people who can only afford a $10 - $20G car see the TSX commercial depicting young well groomed snobs being sold a car as an essential part of the snob lifestyle do they think "that could be me someday" or do they think "fashion obsessed snobs drive TSX's, I hope that's never me." ?
To me the commercials seem extremely patronizing for selling the car like some kind of beauty accessory for the economicly advantaged but maybe I'm out of touch.
To me the commercials seem extremely patronizing for selling the car like some kind of beauty accessory for the economicly advantaged but maybe I'm out of touch.
You don't think that brunette in the car is hot? Oh wait...
05-11-2008 | 12:25 PM
#78
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From: Somewhere between 70 and 125 mph
Something I can't gauge for being too close is: how are the yuppies in the commercials perceived by everyone else? When other people who can only afford a $10 - $20G car see the TSX commercial depicting young well groomed snobs being sold a car as an essential part of the snob lifestyle do they think "that could be me someday" or do they think "fashion obsessed snobs drive TSX's, I hope that's never me." ?
To me the commercials seem extremely patronizing for selling the car like some kind of beauty accessory for the economicly advantaged but maybe I'm out of touch.
To me the commercials seem extremely patronizing for selling the car like some kind of beauty accessory for the economicly advantaged but maybe I'm out of touch.
I don't think all viewers are meant to identify, or want to identify, with the people in ads. I sure don't with the (Suburu?) CUV or minivan ad in which the wifey is telling the hubbie all these neat tech details, and he says, "Honey, I love it when you talk car." Clearly, she's wearing the pants in the family, and he's just a "Yes'm" type of wuss. But I wouldn't judge the vehicle based on that. Just a cute, comedic way to talk about the car without sounding like a laundry list of features.
So the Acura ads ... I don't think we're supposed to identify with those BPs (wondered why no one used that term yet), or want to identify with young techie BPs. I think it's just how they want to characterize the car. "This car is youthful, fun, better looking than the rest of the cars you see on the road, tech savvy, oh did we mention fun? Not just a commute car, or a family-hauling carriage for the MILF set."
I suspect the reason for the static shot of the two boyz in the TSX playing with phones and iPods is that most car buyers associate these up to date tech features with something that younger people "get," and older people have to adopt. The 50 year old family man who leads the pack in using his Crackberry and iPod is not a common metaphor, he's on the leading edge. The car ad may show people on the leading edge, but is trying to appeal to buyers by characterizing the car as being leading edge. Dunno if I'm making sense here....
05-11-2008 | 01:00 PM
#79
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I understand, you're saying the characters are supposed to establish that the car is classy but not represent the typical buyer, but I think that disctinction is hard to make. There's a Volvo commercial with a dad who's wearing the dorkiest outfit ever seen by human eyes and is overly worried about the safety of his prattling daughter whom he's too feeble to parent properly. Even though were supposed to think Volvo's must the choice of safety minded people, it's hard not to come away from that thinking Volvo's are for scared wimpy people.
The way the car manufacturer self describes their cars in their PR is important because even though nobody else on the road knows you it's simply not fun to have a sign on your back that says "snob" or "wuss".
There's a VW commercial where the salesmen are dicking around with some potential customers with a car alarm, are they trying to say that VW buyers are dumb and the people who sell them are assholes?
The way the car manufacturer self describes their cars in their PR is important because even though nobody else on the road knows you it's simply not fun to have a sign on your back that says "snob" or "wuss".
There's a VW commercial where the salesmen are dicking around with some potential customers with a car alarm, are they trying to say that VW buyers are dumb and the people who sell them are assholes?
05-12-2008 | 09:20 AM
#80
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From: Nashville, TN
Originally Posted by wackura
I understand, you're saying the characters are supposed to establish that the car is classy but not represent the typical buyer, but I think that disctinction is hard to make. There's a Volvo commercial with a dad who's wearing the dorkiest outfit ever seen by human eyes and is overly worried about the safety of his prattling daughter whom he's too feeble to parent properly. Even though were supposed to think Volvo's must the choice of safety minded people, it's hard not to come away from that thinking Volvo's are for scared wimpy people.
The way the car manufacturer self describes their cars in their PR is important because even though nobody else on the road knows you it's simply not fun to have a sign on your back that says "snob" or "wuss".
There's a VW commercial where the salesmen are dicking around with some potential customers with a car alarm, are they trying to say that VW buyers are dumb and the people who sell them are assholes?
The way the car manufacturer self describes their cars in their PR is important because even though nobody else on the road knows you it's simply not fun to have a sign on your back that says "snob" or "wuss".
There's a VW commercial where the salesmen are dicking around with some potential customers with a car alarm, are they trying to say that VW buyers are dumb and the people who sell them are assholes?
Off topic a bit...I saw a Jaguar commercial last night that I really liked. The whole time I was watching it I was thinking, now that's how you make a car commercial...why can't Acura do that?!?