Acura RLX Marketing
06-16-2013, 10:10 PM
#81
Senior Moderator
Good new ad there. It acknowledges that Acura is not the usual path for a luxury car.
06-16-2013, 11:18 PM
#82
Drifting
Got this in an email from friend
Obviously Honda can do some good ads when they try. Not sure how long ago this was
. Description:
And I thought dominoes were a big deal. Worth the long intro, but great without it.
If you thought that the people who set up a room full of dominoes to have them knocked over later was amazing, you haven't seen anything yet.
There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in these images.
Everything that you see happened in real time exactly as you see it.
The recording required 606 takes and in the first 605 takes there always was something, usually of minor importance, that didn't work. It was necessary for the recording team to install the setup time after time and it took several weeks working day and night to achieve this effect.
The recording cost 6 million dollars and it took 3 months to finish, including the engineering design of the sequence.
The duration of the video is only 2 minutes, but every time that Honda shows the commercial on British television, they make enough money to support any of us for the rest of our lives. However, this commercial has turned out to be the most displayed in the history of the Internet.
Honda execs think that it will pay for itself simply because of the free showings (Honda is not paying one cent for you to see it)
When Honda senior execs viewed it, they immediately approved it without hesitation-including costs.
There are only six Honda Accords built by hand in the whole world, and to the horror of Honda engineers, the recording team disassembled two of them for the recording.
Everything you see in the sequence (besides the walls, floor, ramp and untouched Honda Accord) is part of those two automobiles. The voice is that of Garrison Keiller. The commercial was so well received by Honda execs when they saw it, that their first comment was how amazing the computer graphics were. They almost fell out of their chairs when told that the recording was real without any graphics manipulation.
By the way, about the wind shield wipers in the new Honda Accords, they are sensitive to water and designed to start working as soon as they get wet.*
AllPhysics - YouTube
Obviously Honda can do some good ads when they try. Not sure how long ago this was
. Description:
And I thought dominoes were a big deal. Worth the long intro, but great without it.
If you thought that the people who set up a room full of dominoes to have them knocked over later was amazing, you haven't seen anything yet.
There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in these images.
Everything that you see happened in real time exactly as you see it.
The recording required 606 takes and in the first 605 takes there always was something, usually of minor importance, that didn't work. It was necessary for the recording team to install the setup time after time and it took several weeks working day and night to achieve this effect.
The recording cost 6 million dollars and it took 3 months to finish, including the engineering design of the sequence.
The duration of the video is only 2 minutes, but every time that Honda shows the commercial on British television, they make enough money to support any of us for the rest of our lives. However, this commercial has turned out to be the most displayed in the history of the Internet.
Honda execs think that it will pay for itself simply because of the free showings (Honda is not paying one cent for you to see it)
When Honda senior execs viewed it, they immediately approved it without hesitation-including costs.
There are only six Honda Accords built by hand in the whole world, and to the horror of Honda engineers, the recording team disassembled two of them for the recording.
Everything you see in the sequence (besides the walls, floor, ramp and untouched Honda Accord) is part of those two automobiles. The voice is that of Garrison Keiller. The commercial was so well received by Honda execs when they saw it, that their first comment was how amazing the computer graphics were. They almost fell out of their chairs when told that the recording was real without any graphics manipulation.
By the way, about the wind shield wipers in the new Honda Accords, they are sensitive to water and designed to start working as soon as they get wet.*
AllPhysics - YouTube
06-20-2013, 11:52 AM
#84
hopefully this isn't a repost
the Luxury Ad got more than 50% "Boo"
Not enough data on the Other Route ad yet
http://www.ispot.tv/brands/7hS/acura
the Luxury Ad got more than 50% "Boo"
Not enough data on the Other Route ad yet
http://www.ispot.tv/brands/7hS/acura
06-20-2013, 12:21 PM
#86
the ispot web site says the "Luxury" ad hasn't played in 23 days
I guess they got the hint
I guess they got the hint
06-21-2013, 05:43 PM
#88
Burning Brakes
06-21-2013, 07:14 PM
#89
I just saw a preview of the new MDX ad from the new agency. Spader is gone. 
07-09-2013, 07:42 AM
#90
Safety Car
Thread Starter
La Times
Poor RLX. I realize that it was launched with the old ad agency so there is not as much hoopla over it but there is absolutely no mention at all about the flagship of the brand. It has only been out 4 months and already seems to be forgotten in all of the latest Acura related news. I am sensing another ~9 year run of this car with little changes.
I wonder if Mullen has any big plans for the RLX - the sport hybrid is around the corner.
Hoping that the best years are not in the rear-view mirror for its Acura luxury line, American Honda Motor Co. is shifting into high gear for the introduction of its redesigned 2014 MDX sport utility vehicle.
The U.S. sales arm of the Japanese automaker typically has kept a low advertising profile for Acura. But that's about to change.
This week, American Honda in Torrance plans to roll out its largest-ever national advertising campaign for an Acura model, a marketing push that also is being closely watched in the Los Angeles advertising industry.
American Honda this year dumped Acura's longtime ad agency and called in reinforcements from Boston and New York. The 2 newly hired firms had to quickly add staff and engineer a campaign that would improve consumers' impressions of Acura.
"This is huge for us," said Gary Robinson, manager of Acura's national advertising and brand. "We want to get this launch right, and we are going to do what it takes to do that. This is a must-succeed."
Acura in recent years has fallen behind such high-end rivals as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. Last year, Acura sold 156,216 vehicles, according to Autodata Corp., a 25% decline from its peak of nearly 210,000 units sold in 2005.
The Honda brand remains strong: Sales increased 9.7% in June, from a year earlier, but the Acura line suffered a 10.4% decline.
Much is riding on Acura's new "Made for Mankind" ad campaign because the 7-passenger MDX is Acura's highest-volume vehicle, and the brand's best chance to regain traction in the market.
Last year, American Honda decided to open up its account handling more than $860 million a year in advertising spending for both the Honda and Acura lines.
The move ultimately reordered the Los Angeles advertising landscape as the incumbent firm, Rubin Postaer & Associates of Santa Monica, lost two substantial pieces of Honda's business.
Mullen, a Boston advertising firm, picked up the Acura account, and MediaVest of New York took responsibility for media buying for both Acura and Honda. RPA, which formed in 1986 to manage the American Honda account, retained the Honda creative account.
Still, the firm shed about 200 employees because of the reduction in business.
After winning the account March 18, Mullen executives had just 90 days to find office space in the Los Angeles area, hire workers and refine the advertising campaign in time to tout the MDX's arrival in dealerships.
Mullen, which now boasts nearly 750 employees nationwide, intends to eventually employ about 80 people in its newly opened office in El Segundo to work on the Acura account. The company also creates advertising for JetBlue Airways Corp., Zappos.com Inc. and Google Inc.
"This is the most exciting opportunity to come to L.A. ad agencies in the last decade," said Julie Warford, director of creative services and operations for Mullen in L.A.
The native of New Zealand joined Mullen 2 months ago after leaving another advertising agency in El Segundo. Mullen opened its offices next door to her old firm in 13,000 square feet of office space in a glass tower that overlooks the south runway of LAX.
MediaVest expects to add about 100 people to plan media strategy for Honda and Acura. MediaVest already had a presence in L.A. because it handles advertising for Disney Channel, Mattel Inc. and other companies in the area.
Acura's Robinson said the MDX advertising campaign was the largest ever for Acura, although he declined to divulge how much the company will be spending. According to advertising consultant Kantar Media, Acura spent nearly $167 million on ads in 2012, down 15% from 2011.
The company plans to make 5 television commercials featuring the MDX, an increase over its usual practice of producing two national TV commercials and 1 region spot for a car model. It recently unveiled the Mullen 60-second spot in theaters and has ordered print ads, billboards, Internet ads.
"It's been crazy. I can't remember the last day that I worked that wasn't 16 hours, but that's fine," said Peter Rosch, executive creative director at Mullen who recently relocated from Boston.
During the pitch process, Mullen asked for extended sessions with Acura engineers and designers, who discussed how they were focused on tapping into technological innovations to create a "synergy between man and machine."
"Our approach was to look right in front of our eyes. We tried to try to find the magic within the words of their chief engineer and then express it in our words," said Mark Wenneker, Mullen's chief creative officer, who also plans to relocate from Boston to Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Rosch came up with the line "Made for Mankind," to compete with BMW's slogan of "the ultimate driving machine" and Lexus' "the pursuit of perfection."
Acura executives acknowledge their vehicles face "challenges of perception" among buyers of luxury vehicles.
Honda launched Acura in 1986 to become a step-up vehicle for Honda owners who wanted to graduate to the next class. The strategy worked. Still, some Honda owners kept buying Hondas, while others migrated to brands that offered more pizazz. To attract new buyers, Acura must drive out from Honda's shadow.
The 60-second version of Mullen's first TV commercial is cinematic in scope and begins with a man scaling a tall tree. It includes an underwater scene, an astronaut floating in space and a scientist interacting with a robot. It is different from most because, these days, car commercials tend to feature voice-overs by famous male actors. On the new Acura ad, the announcer is a woman, who was selected after auditions by more than 100 actors. Acura's usual spokesman, actor James Spader, wasn't enlisted for the campaign.
The ad is meant to convey that as humans have evolved, so has Acura.
The company also intends to make a bigger push in social media. MediaVest brought research into the pitch to show Honda how to better exploit social channels to identify potential car buyers and persuade them that Acura matches their personalities.
"People who are purchasing a car are sending social media signals all over the place," said Chris Harder, executive vice president and managing director of MediaVest's L.A. office. "What social media allows us to do is reach consumers in real time."
The goal is to highlight Acura's relationship with consumers — before, during and after the car purchase, she said.
"We know there is huge power in a brand, and we need a stronger brand to be able to sell more vehicles," Acura's Robinson said. "It's a critical element that we are focused on. It's our goal to make MDX part of the conversation."
I wonder if Mullen has any big plans for the RLX - the sport hybrid is around the corner.
Hoping that the best years are not in the rear-view mirror for its Acura luxury line, American Honda Motor Co. is shifting into high gear for the introduction of its redesigned 2014 MDX sport utility vehicle.
The U.S. sales arm of the Japanese automaker typically has kept a low advertising profile for Acura. But that's about to change.
This week, American Honda in Torrance plans to roll out its largest-ever national advertising campaign for an Acura model, a marketing push that also is being closely watched in the Los Angeles advertising industry.
American Honda this year dumped Acura's longtime ad agency and called in reinforcements from Boston and New York. The 2 newly hired firms had to quickly add staff and engineer a campaign that would improve consumers' impressions of Acura.
"This is huge for us," said Gary Robinson, manager of Acura's national advertising and brand. "We want to get this launch right, and we are going to do what it takes to do that. This is a must-succeed."
Acura in recent years has fallen behind such high-end rivals as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. Last year, Acura sold 156,216 vehicles, according to Autodata Corp., a 25% decline from its peak of nearly 210,000 units sold in 2005.
The Honda brand remains strong: Sales increased 9.7% in June, from a year earlier, but the Acura line suffered a 10.4% decline.
Much is riding on Acura's new "Made for Mankind" ad campaign because the 7-passenger MDX is Acura's highest-volume vehicle, and the brand's best chance to regain traction in the market.
Last year, American Honda decided to open up its account handling more than $860 million a year in advertising spending for both the Honda and Acura lines.
The move ultimately reordered the Los Angeles advertising landscape as the incumbent firm, Rubin Postaer & Associates of Santa Monica, lost two substantial pieces of Honda's business.
Mullen, a Boston advertising firm, picked up the Acura account, and MediaVest of New York took responsibility for media buying for both Acura and Honda. RPA, which formed in 1986 to manage the American Honda account, retained the Honda creative account.
Still, the firm shed about 200 employees because of the reduction in business.
After winning the account March 18, Mullen executives had just 90 days to find office space in the Los Angeles area, hire workers and refine the advertising campaign in time to tout the MDX's arrival in dealerships.
Mullen, which now boasts nearly 750 employees nationwide, intends to eventually employ about 80 people in its newly opened office in El Segundo to work on the Acura account. The company also creates advertising for JetBlue Airways Corp., Zappos.com Inc. and Google Inc.
"This is the most exciting opportunity to come to L.A. ad agencies in the last decade," said Julie Warford, director of creative services and operations for Mullen in L.A.
The native of New Zealand joined Mullen 2 months ago after leaving another advertising agency in El Segundo. Mullen opened its offices next door to her old firm in 13,000 square feet of office space in a glass tower that overlooks the south runway of LAX.
MediaVest expects to add about 100 people to plan media strategy for Honda and Acura. MediaVest already had a presence in L.A. because it handles advertising for Disney Channel, Mattel Inc. and other companies in the area.
Acura's Robinson said the MDX advertising campaign was the largest ever for Acura, although he declined to divulge how much the company will be spending. According to advertising consultant Kantar Media, Acura spent nearly $167 million on ads in 2012, down 15% from 2011.
The company plans to make 5 television commercials featuring the MDX, an increase over its usual practice of producing two national TV commercials and 1 region spot for a car model. It recently unveiled the Mullen 60-second spot in theaters and has ordered print ads, billboards, Internet ads.
"It's been crazy. I can't remember the last day that I worked that wasn't 16 hours, but that's fine," said Peter Rosch, executive creative director at Mullen who recently relocated from Boston.
During the pitch process, Mullen asked for extended sessions with Acura engineers and designers, who discussed how they were focused on tapping into technological innovations to create a "synergy between man and machine."
"Our approach was to look right in front of our eyes. We tried to try to find the magic within the words of their chief engineer and then express it in our words," said Mark Wenneker, Mullen's chief creative officer, who also plans to relocate from Boston to Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Rosch came up with the line "Made for Mankind," to compete with BMW's slogan of "the ultimate driving machine" and Lexus' "the pursuit of perfection."
Acura executives acknowledge their vehicles face "challenges of perception" among buyers of luxury vehicles.
Honda launched Acura in 1986 to become a step-up vehicle for Honda owners who wanted to graduate to the next class. The strategy worked. Still, some Honda owners kept buying Hondas, while others migrated to brands that offered more pizazz. To attract new buyers, Acura must drive out from Honda's shadow.
The 60-second version of Mullen's first TV commercial is cinematic in scope and begins with a man scaling a tall tree. It includes an underwater scene, an astronaut floating in space and a scientist interacting with a robot. It is different from most because, these days, car commercials tend to feature voice-overs by famous male actors. On the new Acura ad, the announcer is a woman, who was selected after auditions by more than 100 actors. Acura's usual spokesman, actor James Spader, wasn't enlisted for the campaign.
The ad is meant to convey that as humans have evolved, so has Acura.
The company also intends to make a bigger push in social media. MediaVest brought research into the pitch to show Honda how to better exploit social channels to identify potential car buyers and persuade them that Acura matches their personalities.
"People who are purchasing a car are sending social media signals all over the place," said Chris Harder, executive vice president and managing director of MediaVest's L.A. office. "What social media allows us to do is reach consumers in real time."
The goal is to highlight Acura's relationship with consumers — before, during and after the car purchase, she said.
"We know there is huge power in a brand, and we need a stronger brand to be able to sell more vehicles," Acura's Robinson said. "It's a critical element that we are focused on. It's our goal to make MDX part of the conversation."
meg.james@latimes.com
07-09-2013, 08:20 AM
#91
Senior Moderator
Well, maybe the new ad agency will oversee a "redo" of RLX marketing.
Glad the old firm is gone. It was seriously time for new blood in terms of Acura marketing.
Glad the old firm is gone. It was seriously time for new blood in terms of Acura marketing.
08-15-2013, 06:31 AM
#92
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Lindsay
08-15-2013, 03:58 PM
#93
I was driving by when they were filming that commercial. Got to sneak a few pictures in before the security guard came up to my car and told me to put my camera away. I laughed at him and said yea right! Lucky for him the light turned green and I had to go.
09-24-2013, 03:40 PM
#94
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Legends
Honda Motor Co.7267.TO -1.03%’s Acura luxury unit is launching a marketing campaign called “Legends,” which features pitcher Mariano Rivera who, the company said, bought his 1st Acura in 1995, the same year he made his Major League debut with the New York Yankees.
The 30-second spots highlight the 2014 Acura RLX flagship luxury sedan and MDX sport-utility vehicle, but also include vintage Acuras like the 1991 Legend, 1991 NSX and 1995 Integra.
“The spots are a nod to Acura’s history and the years it overlapped with Mariano’s career,” said Scott Rodgers, chief creative officer at advertising agency Tier10, who developed the concept for the campaign.
Rodgers said the most difficult part of the production was finding the older Acura models. The effort required a search across social media to track down the cars in mint condition with original paint and parts.
The commercials featuring the closer will begin airing in the New York market this month.
09-24-2013, 09:29 PM
#95
Senior Moderator
Um, more people than New Yorkers will respond to ads about Acura's heritage. Nice ad, though.
09-30-2013, 07:55 PM
#97
Racer
This is 100% correct. Here in Ohio I can defiantly report that the RLX doesn't sell hardly at all. Since the release of the RLX our dealership has only sold 8 of them. This is a horrible number that in the same time we've sold over 100+ 2014 RDX's.
If Acura wanted to seriously bring the RLX back into the game they would put some sick rims ( such as the 20" ZDX accessory rims, which look like the old Type-S rims ) on the RLX advance it would look SO good! Maybe make a Type-S varient that has these rims, carbon fiber interior trim, integrated trunk spoiler and some other stuff.
It bugs the crap out of me, especially being one selling there product. I would love to have a meeting with there design team.
If Acura wanted to seriously bring the RLX back into the game they would put some sick rims ( such as the 20" ZDX accessory rims, which look like the old Type-S rims ) on the RLX advance it would look SO good! Maybe make a Type-S varient that has these rims, carbon fiber interior trim, integrated trunk spoiler and some other stuff.
It bugs the crap out of me, especially being one selling there product. I would love to have a meeting with there design team.
09-30-2013, 09:05 PM
#98
2G TLX-S
^^^^^
How about V8/RWD and/or high-power (330+hp) forced-induced non-hybrid V6, too, to bring the RLX back into the game ?
A RLX Type-S trim also sounds helpful to build up the high-performance image, provided that it can have a matching high performance motor.
Remember all those image builders inside the game arena. Even the Hyundai Genesis has released a high-performance R-spec trim; let alone the S6 from Audi, M5 from BMW, and E63-AMG from MB.
How about V8/RWD and/or high-power (330+hp) forced-induced non-hybrid V6, too, to bring the RLX back into the game ?
A RLX Type-S trim also sounds helpful to build up the high-performance image, provided that it can have a matching high performance motor.
Remember all those image builders inside the game arena. Even the Hyundai Genesis has released a high-performance R-spec trim; let alone the S6 from Audi, M5 from BMW, and E63-AMG from MB.
10-01-2013, 06:57 PM
#99
This is 100% correct. Here in Ohio I can defiantly report that the RLX doesn't sell hardly at all. Since the release of the RLX our dealership has only sold 8 of them. This is a horrible number that in the same time we've sold over 100+ 2014 RDX's.
If Acura wanted to seriously bring the RLX back into the game they would put some sick rims ( such as the 20" ZDX accessory rims, which look like the old Type-S rims ) on the RLX advance it would look SO good! Maybe make a Type-S varient that has these rims, carbon fiber interior trim, integrated trunk spoiler and some other stuff.
It bugs the crap out of me, especially being one selling there product. I would love to have a meeting with there design team.
If Acura wanted to seriously bring the RLX back into the game they would put some sick rims ( such as the 20" ZDX accessory rims, which look like the old Type-S rims ) on the RLX advance it would look SO good! Maybe make a Type-S varient that has these rims, carbon fiber interior trim, integrated trunk spoiler and some other stuff.
It bugs the crap out of me, especially being one selling there product. I would love to have a meeting with there design team.
10-10-2013, 10:54 AM
#100
Safety Car
Thread Starter
New
12-17-2013, 06:40 PM
#101
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld channels the 1960s for a series of ads for the Acura MDX and RLX that tout features like plastic cupholders and "real nylon carpeting."
The ads, which will run during the 3rd season of Seinfeld's online-only Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee starting Jan. 2, lovingly spoof hallmarks of car ads during the era, like astronauts, blind optimism for the future and picnics with large helpings of potato salad.
Though Seinfeld himself doesn't appear in the ads, Acura gave him free creative reign for the executions, which include goofy non-sequiturs like the slogan, "Yesterday's tradition of craftsmanship, today's affordable luxury, tomorrow I'm busy most of the afternoon."
Seinfeld starred in a Super Bowl ad in 2012 that was fairly well received. However, catering to more of a niche online audience, the new ads are funnier and more adventurous. They might even sell a few cars.
12-17-2013, 06:56 PM
#102
I think the new direction with those "comedians and coffee etc etc" ads is that the RLX is for the devoted bachelor guy. Finally, the marketing gurus hit the nail on the head and it took Jerry Seinfeld to tell them something it was so obvious from the beginning of the RL story.
Last edited by Tonyware; 12-17-2013 at 07:03 PM.
12-17-2013, 06:59 PM
#103
Grandpa
Join Date: Dec 2003
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I put a bunch of those on Facebook today, I thought they were so strange.
Are they "Intentionally Bad" or is somebody in marketing a double agent for Volvo or Audi?
The whole series of them is just very strange.
It's like they're marketing to an odd, strange and small percentage of people who are old enough to remember the 60's but still interested in driving in the 21st century.
Oh, wait. I guess that's people like me!
Are they "Intentionally Bad" or is somebody in marketing a double agent for Volvo or Audi?
The whole series of them is just very strange.
It's like they're marketing to an odd, strange and small percentage of people who are old enough to remember the 60's but still interested in driving in the 21st century.
Oh, wait. I guess that's people like me!
12-17-2013, 07:09 PM
#104
^^ I agree....I saw these commercial and was like "WTF??!?" Its bad enough Acura is struggling with an identity crisis and getting the recognition as a "luxury" brand and they pull this cheesy stuff. Not how you boost an image in my opinion....but I am just the weatherman and not a marketing expert.
12-17-2013, 07:18 PM
#105
Senior Moderator
Same thing that happened to me. But then all the way home from work I was thinking of 90.9 cubic feet of potato salad. The fact that the ad actually stuck in my brain and made me keep analyzing it might actually be the effect Acura was looking for. Either way, I think this offbeat campaign shows a lighthearted side of Acura that may help breathe life into the company. Who knows.
12-17-2013, 07:22 PM
#106
^^ Now I crave patato salad! Thanks Tyson....Thanks alot! 
In all seriousness, I agree that marketing can be weird and when we think its a flop, might turn into a hit. I'll let time do its thing but not sure I would turn to poking fun at yourself when you are trying be taken seriously is the best approach.
In all seriousness, I agree that marketing can be weird and when we think its a flop, might turn into a hit. I'll let time do its thing but not sure I would turn to poking fun at yourself when you are trying be taken seriously is the best approach.
12-17-2013, 07:40 PM
#107
I only saw the astronaut one, but I wasn't impressed. However, I also don't believe that there 'must' be only one ad campaign at a time. Look at Geico, they always run multiple campaigns ant it seems OK.
12-17-2013, 09:06 PM
#108
Three Wheelin'
I'm guessing that online marketing is designed to be "edgy", different or a bit weird with the hope that the videos will go viral and spread the news about the new RLX. Then, any true potential buyers will turn to conventional sources to get the real news and details about the car. Again, just my guess.
12-18-2013, 06:04 AM
#109
Safety Car
Thread Starter
NY Times
That article was a little ambiguous so here is another that makes it clearer that these spoof commercials will bookend his online comic episodes. In that context, they make more sense. I am still not 100% sure but it looks they will only appear online during this show and not elsewhere (where they will make less sense):
IN “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” a web series introduced in 2012, Jerry Seinfeld borrows a vintage car like a Lamborghini or Jaguar and picks up fellow comics for a drive to a diner or coffee shop, with in-car and roving cameras capturing their conversations about stand-up comedy and show business. But for a new season that begins Jan. 2, it’s not just cars that Mr. Seinfeld is steering — he also wrote a series of commercials for the show’s sole sponsor, Acura.
The commercials, which are directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”), are shot in the style of car ads from the 1960s — but with absurd twists.
“Acura, yesterday’s tradition of craftsmanship, today’s affordable luxury,” says an actor in 1 spot who looks like he stepped out of a “Mad Men” episode, Brylcreem-coiffed and wearing a suit. “Tomorrow I’m busy most of the afternoon.”
Another ad, featuring astronauts in Apollo-era spacesuits driving an Acura MDX ends with a voice-over: “Acura MDX. If you can’t remember that, just remember Dr. X, and then replace the ‘Dr.’ with ‘MD,’ and then add an ‘X’ — it’s just that easy.”
The cars gleam, but the features highlighted underwhelm, like an “all-metal exterior,” “easy-grip door handles” and “real nylon carpeting.”
For the spots, which bookend episodes that are 10 to 15 minutes long, Mr. Seinfeld collaborated with the Acura agency of record, Mullen, Boston, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Acura, a division of Honda, declined to reveal what it paid for the online-only campaign. In 2012, it spent $163.9 million on advertising, according to the Kantar Media unit of WPP.
In a recent interview at the Brill Building in Times Square, where Mr. Seinfeld, who is also executive producer of the series, was helping edit episodes, he said the commercials would resonate with the “stand-up comedy nerds” who watch the show.
“To me, what was funny was a car from 2014 gets transported back to an ad agency in 1965 which is somewhat incompetent,” Mr. Seinfeld said. “The feeling that I’m trying to give the consumer is, ‘We don’t get you — we are so out of touch that we’re bragging that our cars are metal.’ ”
Mr. Seinfeld, a car collector fond of vintage Porsches, says he finds many conventions of automobile commercials irksome, including footage of vehicles stirring up dust in barren landscapes.
“Cars in the desert: We’re tired of it,” he said. “Nobody wants to see the cars in the desert, we’re not in the desert.”
Mr. Seinfeld, who does not appear in the new online commercials, did appear in an Acura Super Bowl ad in 2012 in which he and Jay Leno, a fellow car collector, are rivals to be the 1st to buy the Acura NSX, a concept car that will not be produced until 2015. The commercial is by Acura’s previous agency, RPA, of Santa Monica, Calif.
Michael Accavitti, a senior vice president who oversees marketing at American Honda Motor Company, said that even though the new online commercials did a deliberately poor job of highlighting Acura’s strengths, they succeeded in their own way.
“The job of these ads isn’t really to demonstrate a huge competitive advantage,” Mr. Accavitti said, noting that details about engineering and performance abound on Acura’s website and in its showrooms. “The purpose is to build awareness that these cars exist, and once we can get more people to be aware of the car, we can increase consideration.”
Although the product claims and premises are ridiculous, the cars featured in the commercial still look as good as they would in a typical ad.
“While we’re doing it in a tongue-in-cheek way, there are a lot of beauty shots of the interiors and exteriors,” Mr. Accavitti said.
Introduced in 1986 by Honda, a Japanese company, to challenge European luxury car brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Acura sold 149,685 vehicles for the 1st 11 months of 2013, an increase of 7% over the same period in 2012, according to Automotive News. Among luxury vehicles, Acura ranks behind Mercedes, the segment leader, and BMW and Lexus, and ahead of Cadillac and Audi.
Guests like Larry David, Chris Rock, David Letterman and Sarah Silverman have appeared in previous “Comedians in Cars” episodes.
“The real action of the show,” Mike Hale wrote in The New York Times, “consists of this seemingly involuntary snorting, cackling laughter of middle-aged men so amused by each other’s observations on boxers versus briefs or tea versus coffee that they rock in their seats and double over in helpless paroxysms.”
Mr. Seinfeld and the show’s production company, Sony Picture’s Television’s Embassy Row, are not revealing the guests for the 6 new episodes.
According to Q Scores, which tracks the popularity of about 1,800 celebrities, Mr. Seinfeld is recognized by about 77% of American adults, with 19% rating him as 1 of their favorite celebrities, which means he has what the company calls a Q Score of 19. In the 1990s, when his sitcom “Seinfeld” 1st aired, Mr. Seinfeld’s Q Score was consistently above 30, according to Henry Schafer, executive vice president of Q Scores.
Today his Q Score skews higher among those over 50 (24) and those with household incomes over $75,000 (20).
“Based on demographics, he’s a good fit for Acura,” Mr. Schafer said of Mr. Seinfeld. “He has a strong emotional connection that started back in the ’90s with upper-income, highly educated television viewers.”
Mr. Seinfeld, meanwhile, said the new Acura commercials were a good fit for his web series.
“I feel like these just make my show better,” he said. “Nobody would want to skip through these — they’re just as funny as the show.”
IN “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” a web series introduced in 2012, Jerry Seinfeld borrows a vintage car like a Lamborghini or Jaguar and picks up fellow comics for a drive to a diner or coffee shop, with in-car and roving cameras capturing their conversations about stand-up comedy and show business. But for a new season that begins Jan. 2, it’s not just cars that Mr. Seinfeld is steering — he also wrote a series of commercials for the show’s sole sponsor, Acura.
The commercials, which are directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”), are shot in the style of car ads from the 1960s — but with absurd twists.
“Acura, yesterday’s tradition of craftsmanship, today’s affordable luxury,” says an actor in 1 spot who looks like he stepped out of a “Mad Men” episode, Brylcreem-coiffed and wearing a suit. “Tomorrow I’m busy most of the afternoon.”
Another ad, featuring astronauts in Apollo-era spacesuits driving an Acura MDX ends with a voice-over: “Acura MDX. If you can’t remember that, just remember Dr. X, and then replace the ‘Dr.’ with ‘MD,’ and then add an ‘X’ — it’s just that easy.”
The cars gleam, but the features highlighted underwhelm, like an “all-metal exterior,” “easy-grip door handles” and “real nylon carpeting.”
For the spots, which bookend episodes that are 10 to 15 minutes long, Mr. Seinfeld collaborated with the Acura agency of record, Mullen, Boston, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Acura, a division of Honda, declined to reveal what it paid for the online-only campaign. In 2012, it spent $163.9 million on advertising, according to the Kantar Media unit of WPP.
In a recent interview at the Brill Building in Times Square, where Mr. Seinfeld, who is also executive producer of the series, was helping edit episodes, he said the commercials would resonate with the “stand-up comedy nerds” who watch the show.
“To me, what was funny was a car from 2014 gets transported back to an ad agency in 1965 which is somewhat incompetent,” Mr. Seinfeld said. “The feeling that I’m trying to give the consumer is, ‘We don’t get you — we are so out of touch that we’re bragging that our cars are metal.’ ”
Mr. Seinfeld, a car collector fond of vintage Porsches, says he finds many conventions of automobile commercials irksome, including footage of vehicles stirring up dust in barren landscapes.
“Cars in the desert: We’re tired of it,” he said. “Nobody wants to see the cars in the desert, we’re not in the desert.”
Mr. Seinfeld, who does not appear in the new online commercials, did appear in an Acura Super Bowl ad in 2012 in which he and Jay Leno, a fellow car collector, are rivals to be the 1st to buy the Acura NSX, a concept car that will not be produced until 2015. The commercial is by Acura’s previous agency, RPA, of Santa Monica, Calif.
Michael Accavitti, a senior vice president who oversees marketing at American Honda Motor Company, said that even though the new online commercials did a deliberately poor job of highlighting Acura’s strengths, they succeeded in their own way.
“The job of these ads isn’t really to demonstrate a huge competitive advantage,” Mr. Accavitti said, noting that details about engineering and performance abound on Acura’s website and in its showrooms. “The purpose is to build awareness that these cars exist, and once we can get more people to be aware of the car, we can increase consideration.”
Although the product claims and premises are ridiculous, the cars featured in the commercial still look as good as they would in a typical ad.
“While we’re doing it in a tongue-in-cheek way, there are a lot of beauty shots of the interiors and exteriors,” Mr. Accavitti said.
Introduced in 1986 by Honda, a Japanese company, to challenge European luxury car brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Acura sold 149,685 vehicles for the 1st 11 months of 2013, an increase of 7% over the same period in 2012, according to Automotive News. Among luxury vehicles, Acura ranks behind Mercedes, the segment leader, and BMW and Lexus, and ahead of Cadillac and Audi.
Guests like Larry David, Chris Rock, David Letterman and Sarah Silverman have appeared in previous “Comedians in Cars” episodes.
“The real action of the show,” Mike Hale wrote in The New York Times, “consists of this seemingly involuntary snorting, cackling laughter of middle-aged men so amused by each other’s observations on boxers versus briefs or tea versus coffee that they rock in their seats and double over in helpless paroxysms.”
Mr. Seinfeld and the show’s production company, Sony Picture’s Television’s Embassy Row, are not revealing the guests for the 6 new episodes.
According to Q Scores, which tracks the popularity of about 1,800 celebrities, Mr. Seinfeld is recognized by about 77% of American adults, with 19% rating him as 1 of their favorite celebrities, which means he has what the company calls a Q Score of 19. In the 1990s, when his sitcom “Seinfeld” 1st aired, Mr. Seinfeld’s Q Score was consistently above 30, according to Henry Schafer, executive vice president of Q Scores.
Today his Q Score skews higher among those over 50 (24) and those with household incomes over $75,000 (20).
“Based on demographics, he’s a good fit for Acura,” Mr. Schafer said of Mr. Seinfeld. “He has a strong emotional connection that started back in the ’90s with upper-income, highly educated television viewers.”
Mr. Seinfeld, meanwhile, said the new Acura commercials were a good fit for his web series.
“I feel like these just make my show better,” he said. “Nobody would want to skip through these — they’re just as funny as the show.”
Last edited by TSX69; 12-18-2013 at 06:10 AM.
02-26-2014, 08:09 PM
#111
Safety Car
Thread Starter
New FB Pic
03-14-2014, 07:13 PM
#113
Senior Moderator
I've been seeing the Sport Hybrid ad in heavy rotation on some news channels. Just saw one a couple of hours ago. Looks like the push to sell the RLX Sport Hybrid is beginning in earnest. Where's the stock at dealers ?
I'd love to see this car succeed.
?I'd love to see this car succeed.
03-15-2014, 09:11 AM
#114
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I'm sure they'll have them sooner but I'm not going to be standing in line with people for two available cars both in colors I do not like.
03-29-2014, 05:59 PM
#115
Senior Moderator
Just received my May 2014 Car and Driver. The Sport Hybrid is on the first two pages as the opening ad. The caption?
"Yes, we are there yet".
Acura must have been watching this forum and seeing the extreme impatience of some of us! This is followed by important numbers we all know: 3 electric motors, 3.5 liters, V-6 engine, 377 combined horsepower, 30 combined MPG rating. On the opposite page is a picture of the schnoz of the car in its Jewel Eye-ness, in black.
Way to make an opening and acknowledge a delay, Acura. Good ad! The only thing missing is a 0-60 time (yes, meaningless, but for those who are easily impressed it would grab some attention). I'm a bit busy today but will try to scan a pic for forum consumption when I can.
"Yes, we are there yet".
Acura must have been watching this forum and seeing the extreme impatience of some of us! This is followed by important numbers we all know: 3 electric motors, 3.5 liters, V-6 engine, 377 combined horsepower, 30 combined MPG rating. On the opposite page is a picture of the schnoz of the car in its Jewel Eye-ness, in black.Way to make an opening and acknowledge a delay, Acura. Good ad! The only thing missing is a 0-60 time (yes, meaningless, but for those who are easily impressed it would grab some attention). I'm a bit busy today but will try to scan a pic for forum consumption when I can.
Last edited by neuronbob; 03-29-2014 at 06:07 PM.
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