First 2016 Prius "Commercial"

Off topic.

Are you and cyclopathic related?

 

Well.
It seems really pretentious to me.

And I don't think it's very creative.
Haven't we all seen the commercial for a product that "pretends" to be nothing about the product? Didn't it start with Calvin Klein in the 80's?

Hey, I'm not a fashion photographer, so I could really care less.

And I still think Toyota is making a mistake focusing on the supposed beauty of this new Prius.

Note to Toyota: It ain't THAT pretty.

Toyota is acting like we all have never seen a car before. The new Prius may be a debatable visual improvement, but it still is a function over form vehicle and I'm guessing absolutely nobody is going to buy it because they think it's so beautiful they must have it.

 

i agree. instead that silliness, they should advertise the real strength of the car. they should show people how much they save per month after they trade in an fuel inefficient car and how prius drivers are regular people and not just tree-hugging ultra-liberal weirdos (the typical prius stereotype).

IMHO, the existing prius advertisements (i'm talking about green grass, rainbows, flowers, humming, and those ugly butt faces) pretty much alienated the general public and it's partially responsible for the prius driver stigma.

 

This guy gets out of the driver seat to fill-up the Prius at a service station:


And this guy gives the money to pay for the gas:


Bob Wilson

 

I thought those ads came out with Gen3, well after the prius stigma was created and a good portion of the general public alienated during Gen2.

 

at two bucks a gallon, it's probably not a starter.

 

Yeah, commercials partially resposible, but lot of other things concerning gasoline 10 years ago and later: Iraq / Afghanistan wars, soldeirs getting killed coming home wounded, Middle East oil supporting terrorists, global warming, climate change / fears coupled with the new electrified Prius and its phenomenal MPGs at the time. For many Prius wasn't just a car but a hobby, a movement, putting an extra battery in 2nd gen to make it a plug in. No doubt some people were getting preachy to others about driving gas guzzlers and copping attitudes like this obnoxious lady.

also celebrities all into Prius at the time, the backlash and jokes from South Park, Jeff Dunham, Hollywood, Top Gear and more. Let's face it, 2nd gen Prius was / is good on gas, but it was EXPENSIVE, a lot of money for a poor driving car, and many considered it butt ugly.

 

at least they lost the ugly, noisy, uncomfortable seats, poor handling and high cost.

 

maybe, to be honest, I've never seen a prius commercial in TV, i only know them from priuschat. i don't watch much TV and when i do, i use tivo and netflix, so commercials are pretty much invisible to me. the only good toyota commercial i remember was the one i saw in youtube, non-US of course:

 

I guess I can understand the idea of marketing the Prius in a more conventional way.
I have nothing against moving away and expanding from the Super Eco Friendly, swaying Tree's, Harmony between Man and Nature approach.

But I also think I just don't like this commercial. I don't think I'd like it, if it was ANY vehicle in the background. (And you could plug in nearly any vehicle in the background)- It's does seem pretentious to me, as well as really cheesy.

Prius as "Fashion Model" just doesn't work for me.

And the strange thing? I've always liked the way Prius looks. It's never been something I felt Toyota had to sell me on. Why all of a sudden do they want to convince me The Prius can travel in a higher social cliche? A tuxedo and dress night on the town? IMO it's always been appropriate for that.

 

they don't. they want to convince those that haven't tried it yet.

 

And do you really think it will work?
I don't think very many people who have never thought about owning a Hybrid or Prius will suddenly accept it as a good idea just because Toyota suddenly tells them it's a beautiful "looking" car.

Some people complained about the looks of The Prius, but I don't really feel it's ever been a REAL reason anyone who DID want one, didn't purchase.

I don't see this approach unleashing a whole flood of waiting untapped customers for Prius.

 

hard for me to say. i never feel swayed by advertising, but am i subconsciously?

 

I wouldn't mind never seeing that video again.
And I don't think that one incident is in any way indicative of the majority of The Prius ownership base.

 

Not current ownership base, future owners...next Gen money.

 

agreed, it's the nature of advertising. and it's like musical chairs. i'm unhappy with my ad firm, so i can them. do they go out of business? no, they land a deal with my competitor.

 

I've always heard There's lots of extra charges "Built in" to GM Products, so they can offer "big" incentives.

 

"Oh What a Feeling - Toyota" seemed to work pretty well for them 30 years ago. I'm not so sure that this won't work equally well now.

 

Was that a bad thing? Or did your competitor receive better service and creativity than was supplied to you?