Marketing/Advertising auto news

Report: Artist claims work censored at Transmission LA because of Mercedes-Benz

The "Transmission LA" was sponsored by none other than Mercedes-Benz. Silva claims that when he asked to speak with a Mercedes representative, he was denied after being told, "they are pissed." Silva has a history of using automotive imagery in his art, including Mercedes-Benz wheels. Not anymore, he says. The artist says the experience won't so much change his art as "my opinion of the materials I work with."

Official: Truth in 24 II available as free download on iTunes

Good news, Le Mans fans. Audi has released its "Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts" documentary as a free download on iTunes. As with the first film, this sequel is narrated by none other than Jason Statham and details the Audi battle for its tenth win at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. As you may recall, the race was a nail-biter for the race team. After seeing its sister entries removed from competition, the #2 R18 TDI went on to take the checkered flag by fighting off three rival Peugeot entries.

But the story was about more than the drivers and the cars. Team engineer Leena Gade officially became the first female in history to lead a Le Mans team to an overall victory.

Audi also made another documentary about the U.S. Ski Team called "Truth in Motion," and all three films are available for free on iTunes. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Continue reading Truth in 24 II available as free download on iTunes

Study: Survey Says: Fuel economy is #1 factor when buying a car

It seems like it was just a few years ago that car manufacturers used to laugh at us when we'd ask why a new model didn't get any better fuel economy than its outgoing predecessor. "Car buyers don't care about fuel economy," was the refrain, "They certainly won't pay for it."

A few years of three- and four-dollar-per-gallon gas has apparently changed that attitude. According to a new study by Consumer Reports, 37 percent of respondents said fuel economy was now their leading consideration in car shopping, topping all others by a landslide. Quality was the second-most-important factor at 17 percent, while safety was mentioned by 16 percent, and value by 14 percent of shoppers. Two-thirds of respondents said they expected their next new vehicle to beat their current one on fuel economy. And yes, it is the economy, stupid, as 90 percent of those surveyed said high gas prices were the reason why they wanted a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

None of this is too surprising, given what has been going on both in the auto industry and in the larger economy since the economic meltdown of 2008. But we still kind of wonder how performance managed to rate number one with just six percent of those surveyed? Is that it then, there are six times as many tee-totalers than auto enthusiasts out there in the world?

CR says that it called 2,009 people across the country to get its results, obtaining 1,702 responses from adult car owners. Scroll down to read the full press release.

Continue reading Survey Says: Fuel economy is #1 factor when buying a car

Report: GM pulls advertising from next Super Bowl after Facebook exit

The development comes quickly after GM decided to stop buying ads on Facebook citing a lack of effectiveness (to which Ford responded), and comes during a year of realignment efforts throughout the company: a global review of accounts began earlier this year and some were quickly let go, a brand new agency was created for Chevrolet and set up shop in Detroit, and personnel are being realigned.

The General's global ad spend in 2011 was $4.7 billion, and word is that GM doesn't plan on spending less, it only wishes to spend better - Ewanick says the changes made so far will net the company $2 billion in savings over the next five years. It's clear he's looking to unlock more efficiencies; observers say that GM is also trying to improve its ad performance overseas and find better ways to reach demographics that have migrated in all directions and to all media.

Video: Lincoln goes back 80 years to sell the 2013 MKS

Lincoln has released the first 30-second ad spot for the 2013 MKS, with its seventeen intial seconds spent covering the era of Lincoln glory from 1922 to 1976. The ad almost feels like an apology for the MKS, as if the ad team really wanted to sell the 2013 MKZ but was assigned the penalty-box MKS and had their protestations silenced with, "Just make something!"

We think the MKS deserves a little more love than that.

Scroll down to see Lincoln's latest commercial for yourself.

Continue reading Lincoln goes back 80 years to sell the 2013 MKS

Video: China chastizes Beijing Motor Show over scantily clad models

Our post on China's "Tiger mom" phenomenon was illustrated with that above picture; it's the Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, accompanied by a booth professional. The model - her, not the Jeep - made a fair few friends in the Autoblog Comments section, but it turns out she and her kind attracted the ire of the Chinese authorities.

The Capital Ethics Development Office gave the Beijing show organizers a caning because the "scantily clad" models had "a negative social impact," and the show was warned not to let "such vulgar publicity" occur again. There's a lot of room between that leather bustier and a burqa, however, so all's not lost for next year's show in Shanghai.

Scroll down to watch the Bloomberg video on the matter.

Continue reading China chastizes Beijing Motor Show over scantily clad models

Report: Ford and GM in Twitterfight over Facebook advertising?

Frenemies Ford and General Motors have taken to cyberspace for a little verbal sparing, trading snarky shots this week over which company is more likeable on Facebook.

GM set itself up Tuesday after news broke that the carmaker decided not to spend $10 million on Facebook advertising the same week the social media juggernaut prepares for its initial public offering expected to raise $100 billion dollars.

Ford used the opportunity to tweak its crosstown rival, tweeting: "It's all about the execution. Our Facebook ads are effective when strategically combined with engaging content & innovation."

GM couldn't leave that alone, going onto its Facebook page, "Just wanted to let our millions of Facebook fans know, we're still here, and we 'like' you back!"

Both carmakers will continue to use Facebook, where both have millions of followers of their brands and vehicles. And, really, they are both right.

Ford has done an extremely good job incorporating Facebook into its marketing strategy. When it came time to launch the new Ford Explorer, it did it through Facebook reaching millions of people.

GM has determined its money will be better spent in other areas. A recent Associated Press-CNBC poll showing more than half of all Facebook users never click on sponsored ads and only 12 percent said they felt comfortable to buy anything over Facebook. Google, The Wall Street Journal points out, is much more effective.

Motorsports: Guy Fieri to drive Corvette ZR1 pace car in Indy 500

Guy's an admitted car fan, and he should feel at home in the ZR1; he owns seven Chevrolet models that span the decades from 1968 to 2011, and a Cadillac Escalade ESV. He'll be pacing the field in the 638-horsepower special edition Arctic White coupe on Sunday, May 27 at noon EST.

Report: GM says Facebook ads not effective, pulls campaign ahead of IPO

The Internets are buzzing over the upcoming initial public offering of Facebook, but General Motors doesn't seem all that impressed. The Huffington Post reports that The General has pulled its Facebook ad campaigns just days before the social media site is scheduled to officially hit the stock market.

The pricey ad buy reportedly wasn't paying sufficient dividends for GM, which spends billions of dollars on advertising every year. GM Spokesperson Pat Morrissey confirmed that Facebook was being reassessed, but added that the automaker routinely reviews where it is spending its ad dollars. Morrissey then added that GM is looking for effectiveness when it doles out marketing cash, which doesn't bode well for Facebook's ability to draw clicks.

If GM's decision sounds at all irrational, the statistics seem to show that Facebook isn't exactly an ad-click magnet. A recent CNBC poll showed that 50 percent of all Facebook users never click on any ads, and only 12 percent of those polled feel comfortable purchasing anything through Facebook. Google appears to be more effective at attracting clicks, as The Wall Street Journal cites a click-rate that is seven times that of Facebook.

Regardless of GM's decision to break up with Facebook, we're guessing that the news probably won't drown out much of the anticipation for the IPO. After all, it isn't every day that an Internet site with 900 million mostly addicted users goes public.

Video: Buick begins airing Marisa Miller Enclave ad

Not long ago, Buick released the behind-the-scenes video of its Enclave commercial with Marisa Miller, and now the supermodel's 30-second spot has begun airing. Note: This is a spot for the current Enclave, not the refreshed 2013 model the debuted during April's New York Auto Show.

The Sports Illustrated staple and lingerie model might just be the first person ever to wear a swimsuit in a Buick ad. We could say more about it, but that would delay you from watching Ms. Miller and the Enclave in action. So just scroll down and check out the video, why don't you.

Continue reading Buick begins airing Marisa Miller Enclave ad