The greatest car commercials of all time

It’s crucial that your advertising campaign is a success. If you cement this, then your product stands a great chance of being a hit. Research has found that TV commercials are responsible for 71% of advertising-generated profit, representing a four-fold increase on your investment in the space of three years. Growing synergies with online videos have helped this too, with motion content up to four times more effective in 2016 than it was in 1996.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that companies are bending over backwards in a bid to engrain their product into the public’s memory. Whether it’s the Honey Monster munching away on Sugar Puffs, a belly that’s ‘gonna get ya’ advertising Reebok, or a monkey drumming away for Cadbury’s, brands in every sector put a lot of effort into perfecting their on-screen advertising. Here, with Lookers, who offer car servicing plans, we look at the best car commercials to have graced our screens.

I see you baby…

This iconic advert by French manufacturer Renault had the Megane flying round the streets shaking its derriere. However, it wasn’t widely appreciated when it hit our screens in 2003. So many wobbling rumps prompted 139 viewer complaints and the television watchdog slapped a ban on the advert being aired before 7.30pm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNFTtdPQtic

Va Va Voom

The French car specialists were at it again in 2001 as they introduced their new Clio model to the world with the help of French footballing superstar, Thierry Henry. The Arsenal forward was brought in to help the stereotypical ‘women’s car’ become more gender neutral. Adding ‘a little bit of va va voom’ certainly didn’t alienate the female viewers either, and the car – as well as the advert – is still a popular choice for the British public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrShrLl38Qs

Going home

The message from Audi in 2016 was born on the track, built for the road. This was to motto for their advert which saw a pick of their best models heading for Le Mans. To the backing of a haunting version of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Homeward Bound’ track, the screenplay pays homage to the car manufacturer’s golden era in the motorsport, in which they won 13 out of 18 races, before they turned their attention to Formula E. The ad featured RS models, including the TT RS Coupé and the R8 Spyder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnEqEOlUJeQ

Safety first

Volkswagen recently had a couple of adverts banished from our screens incase they promoted irresponsible driving. One, which showed a son growing up, resembled a daddy/daughter advertisement from 2013. However, while the recent clips show a father being concerned as his son is involved in near-misses behind the wheel, the past effort tugged on the heart strings a lot more – and avoided being chopped!

An advert for the Polo saw a dad protecting his daughter throughout her life. He eventually handed her the keys to her new car – a one she can feel safe in. What a great story line!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=ROW1n86cfWg

Singin’ in the rain

Volkswagen introduced their original Golf GTI, but updated, in 2006. In doing so, they effectively remade Gene Kelly’s famous singing in the rain sketch from 1962, but with a new body-popping dance routine. Finishing up his smooth moves, Gene eventually stops outside of parked up Golf GTI to bring an end to a well put-together commercial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?src_vid=gs_T_cEoX6I&v=vn1yi-nnvW0

It’s good to be bad

This ad by Jaguar was first aired at the Super Bowl and needed to be a hit as there was a huge audience expecting – and it didn’t disappoint. Featuring the Jaguar F-Type Coupé, prominent British actors Sir Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong portray the British bad guy culture that has been built up by Hollywood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7gR7EYjcP8

Robodance

Let’s face it, we’re all a fan of Transformers. Whether it’s the toys or the movies or, in this case the advert. Citroen released this ‘groovy’ commercial with a dancing Citroen C4 robocar in 2007 along with the slogan ‘alive with technology’. Next time you hear Jacques Your Body by Les Rythmes Digitales, why not try to bust the moves as well as a Citroen?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atj7hiv2qM8

Piece of cake

Skoda jumped on the nation’s baking addiction in 2007 when they created a full-size Skoda Fabia made entirely of cake. With the slogan ‘full of lovely stuff’, the manufacturer forked out £500,000 on the advertisement in a bid to give the brand a new lease of life. The scrumptious-looking cake, which featured 180 eggs, 100kg of flour, 100kg of caster sugar, 30kg of almonds and 65kg of dried fruit showcased the car’s attractive design in a bid to leave viewers’ mouths watering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhfEGKc7PLQ

What the cluck?

This very strange advert sticks in the mind as once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it! Step forward the dancing chickens of Mercedes-Benz. The German manufacturers simply use chickens to illustrate ‘stability at all times’ and ‘magic body control’ with their smooth motions going in time with the backing track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLwML2PagbY

Piece by piece

The Honda Accord arrived on the scene slowly in a ‘domino effect’. The Japanese manufacturers used every cog of the car to knock into another in a creative fashion before eventually introducing the new model with a pull-down banner. Great patience must have been had by the ad’s director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet to successfully pull off the masterpiece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6QrD8J6K1U

So, that’s 10 of the greatest automotive commercials to have hit our screens. With so many of the ads being remembered more than a decade on, it’s clear that effective advertising is crucial. What brand will produce the next memorable video to help them sell more cars?