Mazda's ads do suck. What does feel alive even mean? Look at the Subaru commercials. With the first shot they hook into the explorer crowd and second, hook into the longevity of their vehicles. 98% still on the road after 10 years. Very effective ads.
The sad part is that for the vast majority of people buying cars, driving does not matter. Heck, in the worlds largest car market, the actual experience of driving is meaningless. Nothing better then getting picked up at 23:50 in a Panamera and driving 100km at 50 km/hr on the finally empty road...
Mazda needs to hire a new ad company to come up with a new vision. If not, I think it might be as the new Scion brand for Toyota. Mazda on the low end and Lexus on the high end.