To me, the ad is effective insofar as it is entertaining, beautiful. But I completely agree with efusco, it does not serve its function as an advertisement and fails to elicit a consumers demand. It's less of a commercial and more of a throwback to the Cinema of Attractions, hinging on spectacle rather than narrative. The performance is given priority - the dancers (or whatever they are) dominate the frame through the majority of the commercial. It's hardly about the Prius. Even though its narrator touts the increased cargo space and MPG, all attention is on the transforming land/cityscape. His words are forgettable. What car is this again? The Gen 3, a spectacle in its own right, deserves to be the star of its own commercial.
Ehh... I don't know. It's kinda preaching to the choir. People already know the Prius is green and environmentally friendly. How 'bout something like this? "How do you make America's best selling hybrid better? You make it more powerful (show 134hp on screen), more spacious (show the backseat area), cleaner (show CO2 numbers coming out of the tailpipe) and more fuel efficient (50mpg combined). You make it smarter (show PCS in action), safer (7 airbags), cooler (solar panel moonroof), more luxurious (dark grey leather seats w/nav) and above all, more affordable (*Starting at $21,000 with a disclaimer that Prius I will arrive late summer). Prius. It's everything you expect in a hybrid. It's everything you want in a car." *Edited 12th May. Made some changes to the words*
Ridiculous add. It has just put the Prius right back in the "tree hugger hippie car" category. Also this add does nothing to show the cars new features. It will look like a carryover model to most people. This add is probably just a short term teaser add before the cars hits dealerships. At least this add won't sell cars which means more for us. Yeaaaaaaa.
As a "green" add, it may work well on such channels as MSNBC, Green channel, etc. I wouldn't expect it to do well on major network television though.
>> SUV's make a lot of money (for Toyota) the Prius is a loss leader (& some get a warm fuzzy in their Prius)
Green isn't going to work in mid America or your average car buyer. A more mainstream Ad with an emphasis on value, technology, and pricing would have much more appeal and a better comparison to the Honda Insight.
I did not like the add. As a previous driver of mini vans hopeing to get better gas mileage and do my bit to get the U.S. oil independent it did not appeal to me. Switching from mini vans to a prius hatchback people want to see (imo) a vehicle that gets good gas mileage and also can haul all the things that a young family or sports active couple hauls around. I am still buying a Prius but the insight add appeals to the young families hauling stuff to beaches, picnics and doing fun things.
How many times have you seen a car sliding sideways or a truck pulling an absurbly large load or a SUV climbing over a rocky surface? None of those commercials of the past made any sense. They were totally impractical scenarios. Yet, we got inundanted with them. For consumers desiring change from all that, this will definitely draw their attention. .
Clearly, some of the people here did not do enough of the right kind of drugs at a young age! But yeah, I agree, I hope they have more in the pipeline than pretty image or green ads. The whole point is to make it a mainstream car, that is great in its own right, without regard to MPG or green qualifications. The mainstream has already done its cost benefit analysis in those areas. Time to appeal on the basis of tech, power, reliability (think maytag), interior room (can imagine some funny ads here), and comfort. Think iphone ads, rather than ipod ads. And you could even wave the flag a bit by emphasizing fuel independence, rather than fuel savings.
Cool. Jon, can I have a raise? BTW, love it or hate it, there is more to come. Doug Coleman Prius Product Manager Toyota Motor Sales, USA
No matter what you do someone will find fault with it. From someone that has been in a position of making decisions in the past that affect lots of people I found someone always did not like what I did.
As a geek though I keep track of my mileage and what I spend on a spreadsheet. In my minivan since Jan 2, 2009 I travelled 10839 miles most of which was for business combined city highway and rush hour. In the min van I actually used 630.46 gallons of gas. Had I averaged 50 miles a gallon I would have used 225.22 gallons and at 40 mpg I would have used 281.52. The Dollar savings was $818.41 at 50 mpg and 704.94 at 40 mpg. I used 50 as the prius mileage and 40 as a Ford Fusion mpg These figures are probably the biggest seller for me, but my wife says only a geek logs what he spends and how many gallons he uses, or she says he does that for fun when someone is inthe car with us so maybe that is not a selling point to general public.
Hey guys, was wondering if you'd acknowledge this thread. Much as I don't think this is an effective spot, I think you've given enough clues to suggest that there's a lot more to come in the campaign to attract the broader market. For now I guess I'll let you hold onto your job...but I'm watching you!
This has been refuted and proven otherwise many times. Prius may help offset Toyota's overall MPG average, but it's certainly not a loss leader.
Well that may be true, but the ad has a cartoon look to it. Not really what you need when many think it's all a joke anyway. I'm just glad they did not have Barney on there and then we'd have all the little kids screaming about killing the dino's just to make us oil.
I am a past mainstream consumer. Until the 07 TCH I would have never considered a Prius. Now I'm hooked and it has NOTHING to do with being GREEN. In fact the Prius has a reputation that seems to come with it that I struggle with somewhat as I don't really want to align myself that way. If the GREEN folks really cared about their cause, then instead of critizing people like me they need to be "sneeky" and convince people like me to buy a hybrid for the reasons that appeal to me (I'm cheap, want to reduce foreign oil dependancy, etc). That way they get all the results of a green campaign with unknowing participants. It's a win-win. In the long run (it takes a couple of years) you end up with someone who ultimately does start wondering about geo-thermal heat, better insulation, water and gasoline conservation, etc. You can win the war better by gradual persusation rather than confrontation (just ask the devil_that's his method).
I love competition. It creates an environment where the consumer gets to choose the best product at the best price... Keith
