Car and Driver: Every 2019 Compact Crossover SUV Ranked from Worst to Best

Totes agree though, this Feel Alive s*** must go away. HORRIBLE.
Bring the kid back. He's probably in his 40s now. Make a new ZOOM ZOOM song. There would be no shame in this.

I searched Google for some recent Mazda ads... much worse than the "inspiration is the key" Youtube ads.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/o_es/2019-mazda3-hatchback-dream-bigger-song-by-haley-reinhart-t1

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/oWfw/2019-mazda-cx-5-spot-drive-inspired-song-by-haley-reinhart-t2


Mazda, PLEASE FIRE YOUR ADVERTISING AGENCY IMMEDIATELY!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGvLPJqEZ-k


So many cringing moments in this ad:

1)Wheelchair girl gets happy cause she gets asked to dance

2)Rugged outdoor man shows his sensitive side by shedding a tear

3)The teenagers on a first date sneaking onto the rooftop

4)Black man doing ballerina

5)Seth rogan wannabe 'spreads his wings'


WORST AD OF ALL TIME.
 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGvLPJqEZ-k


So many cringing moments in this ad:

1)Wheelchair girl gets happy cause she gets asked to dance

2)Rugged outdoor man shows his sensitive side by shedding a tear

3)The teenagers on a first date sneaking onto the rooftop

4)Black man doing ballerina

5)Seth rogan wannabe 'spreads his wings'


WORST AD OF ALL TIME.

It's insane.

Perhaps you do one of these "has absolutely nothing to do with the product" ads if your brand and market are already established. But that does not apply to Mazda. They have no ads (or promotions) to get people into the showroom in the first place.

When I see a commercial like this, I can imagine some ad company telling the Japanese "This is what sells cars in America," then making this stuff and gleefully cashing the check.
 
Probably because no "older" person wants to buy a vehicle that reminds them they're closer to dying than they are to being born, all things being equal. I'd say those ads are aimed DIRECTLY at older people for this very reason.

This may be the dumbest thing I've ever seen you type. How does an SUV have anything to do with being closer to death? Because I didn't buy a Mustang I'm old and ready to die? WTF?!?!
 
This may be the dumbest thing I've ever seen you type. How does an SUV have anything to do with being closer to death? Because I didn't buy a Mustang I'm old and ready to die? WTF?!?!

I'm thinking that maybe Uno's point is that sometimes people don't want to admit that their priorities need to change according to where they are in life. So a commercial directed towards "Feeling Alive" is a way to appeal to that type of person who might be forced to choose a more practical type of vehicle without compromising their "youth". That's how I interpreted it anyway, I might be wrong.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGvLPJqEZ-k


So many cringing moments in this ad:

1)Wheelchair girl gets happy cause she gets asked to dance

2)Rugged outdoor man shows his sensitive side by shedding a tear

3)The teenagers on a first date sneaking onto the rooftop

4)Black man doing ballerina

5)Seth rogan wannabe 'spreads his wings'


WORST AD OF ALL TIME.

Repost of the video mentioned:

I agree with most of your points but think you could cobble together an OK 30 second TV ad from that, though. Mostly the second half. Stick with the Japanese artist with the clay model, the existing car shots, replace drummer, male ballerina, and weird dude with more car shots, and maybe just a little of the advertising BS.
 
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This may be the dumbest thing I've ever seen you type. How does an SUV have anything to do with being closer to death? Because I didn't buy a Mustang I'm old and ready to die? WTF?!?!

I think he was responding to my comment that ads aren't overtly directed towards the car-buying demographic (older folks). I specifically used the word "nostalgia."

So we're not talking a type of vehicle reminding likely customers where they are in their life, we're talking about an ad not doing that when they're trying to separate people from their cash.
 
Repost of the video mentioned:

I agree with most of your points but think you could cobble together an OK 30 second TV ad from that, though. Mostly the second half. Stick with the Japanese artist with the clay model, the existing car shots, replace drummer, male ballerina, and weird dude with more car shots, and maybe just a little of the advertising BS.

As I've said before, the problem is that Mazda does not have a foundational identity over which to lay the esoteric.

I saw a Subaru commercial today. The owner lived in the country. The (far-away) neighbor's dog got out (again), so--dressed in rural flannel--she shoved it in her Subaru, drove it back home to its owner, and the three of them shared a bonding moment. She then drove away in the late afternoon light.

It worked within the context of Subaru's identity. It was another facet of that which we already knew of the brand.

Without a foundational identity to provide a context, Mazda's commercials as they are have nothing to resonate with.
 
Mazda should hire the same ad agency that Subaru hired that came up with the safety + dog + awd ad campaign.
 
I think he was responding to my comment that ads aren't overtly directed towards the car-buying demographic (older folks). I specifically used the word "nostalgia."

The target demographic has always been 25-49 year olds or something like that. This isn't new. By the time you are out of that demographic you know what you next car will be. Most 25 year olds aren't brand loyal yet.
 
The target demographic has always been 25-49 year olds or something like that. This isn't new. By the time you are out of that demographic you know what you next car will be. Most 25 year olds aren't brand loyal yet.

SUV Buyers by Age Group
Age 24 and younger...<1%
Age 25 to 54.............43%
Age 55 to 64.............26%
Age 65 and up...........31%

You may be right that the ads are there to cultivate a lifetime of brand loyalty in your stated demographic, but those people are not who the majority of today's SUV buyers are.

I'm 65, and this is my first Mazda. It's the 9th vehicle I've owned, my first Asian car (new or used) and my first SUV. I wonder how many other first-time SUV buyers there are in those stats I cited. I bet lots in the older age groups.

Now, I'm no expert. Every advertisement for every product seems to be about everything but the product itself. People buy cars so they can drive their kid to the woods to "hear the trees talk to each other," without realizing that on a calm day it was a wasted trip.

But those ads work...I guess.

3 Chevys (1 new truck/2 used cars) , 2 GMs (1 new truck/1 used car), a used Lincoln, a used Volvo, and a used Austin Healey
 
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So many cringing moments in this ad:

1)Wheelchair girl gets happy cause she gets asked to dance

2)Rugged outdoor man shows his sensitive side by shedding a tear

3)The teenagers on a first date sneaking onto the rooftop

4)Black man doing ballerina

5)Seth rogan wannabe 'spreads his wings'


WORST AD OF ALL TIME.

Naw I think Mazda should kick up the dramatic commercials up a notch....

Father asks daughter what kind of new car she wants for her 16th birthday...BMW, Lexus, Audi...she says I want a Mazda Signature.

Couple divorces and lawyers argue who gets what house, boat, cottage...and and yeah especially the Mazda.

Zeuss proclaims "Release the Kodo Kraken", a Mazda ridden by Perseus has looks that kills medusa.

Thanos snaps the Gauntlet and half of all life in the universe plus all boring suvs cinder into dust...except for the Mazda.
 
Naw I think Mazda should kick up the dramatic commercials up a notch....

Father asks daughter what kind of new car she wants for her 16th birthday...BMW, Lexus, Audi...she says I want a Mazda Signature.

Couple divorces and lawyers argue who gets what house, boat, cottage...and and yeah especially the Mazda.

Zeuss proclaims "Release the Kodo Kraken", a Mazda ridden by Perseus has looks that kills medusa.

Thanos snaps the Gauntlet and half of all life in the universe plus all boring suvs cinder into dust...except for the Mazda.

Brilliant!
 
Without a foundational identity to provide a context, Mazda's commercials as they are have nothing to resonate with.

Isn't that the point? They're trying to build a new identity. So they've changed their ad strategy. How else are they going to do it?

Most of us think the new ads are lame, but Mazda must think otherwise.
 
Naw I think Mazda should kick up the dramatic commercials up a notch....

Father asks daughter what kind of new car she wants for her 16th birthday...BMW, Lexus, Audi...she says I want a Mazda Signature.

Couple divorces and lawyers argue who gets what house, boat, cottage...and and yeah especially the Mazda.

Zeuss proclaims "Release the Kodo Kraken", a Mazda ridden by Perseus has looks that kills medusa.

Thanos snaps the Gauntlet and half of all life in the universe plus all boring suvs cinder into dust...except for the Mazda.

Those last 2 are far from First World, but they have me on the edge of my seat.
 
Isn't that the point? They're trying to build a new identity. So they've changed their ad strategy. How else are they going to do it?

Most of us think the new ads are lame, but Mazda must think otherwise.

Could be. Maybe there's more to come. The only time I see Mazda commercials are during sporting events (golf, soccer and most recently college football).

I find most ads to be insulting, but as you say, if they didn't work they wouldn't exist. Either that, or ad companies have really, really good salespeople.

Coming from someone who's new to the brand, I think the cars sell themselves once you get the customer to test drive them. They drive so well, and you get so much for your money. Maybe balloon-filled showrooms are too cheesy for the brand.
 
Could be. Maybe there's more to come. The only time I see Mazda commercials are during sporting events (golf, soccer and most recently college football).

I find most ads to be insulting, but as you say, if they didn't work they wouldn't exist. Either that, or ad companies have really, really good salespeople.

Coming from someone who's new to the brand, I think the cars sell themselves once you get the customer to test drive them. They drive so well, and you get so much for your money. Maybe balloon-filled showrooms are too cheesy for the brand.

I'm right there with you on ads, brother. I won't watch live TV. Record everything and skip ALL the ads. Watch an hour show in 45 minutes. Better yet-- don't watch at all.

Another possibility is that the people who make the decisions about ads at Mazda just have bad taste/judgment. Or don't know what they're doing. Or are just trying something new to see what happens.
 
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