Porsche TV ads.... pathetic

[Plays with cars]

Is anyone else bothered by the recent round of Porsche TV ads? Let's see to summarize:
Taxi cab struggles to chase a Cayenne... okay, so what message is this supposed to communicate to me as a consumer? The Cayenne is faster than a Taxi? People w/o cars admire the Cayenne???

Porsche drivers ignore trash... 3 drivers happily motor on as they watch a piece of scrap paper float in the air. Again a) what message is this supposed to communicate?, b) doesn't it seem the cars are in reverse order? Wouldn't it make the most sense to have the turbo coupe drive past the paper because he can't get to it easily, then finally the open top Cab would grab it?

Porsche drivers are deceitful... a husband and wife (I assume) lie to get out of work to drive their Boxster

Irresponsible drivers desire Cayennes... in this spot the driver of a motorhome abandons the wheel while going down the road to run to the back window to check out a Cayenne. Shouldn't we be promoting the imagine that Porsche drivers are consciencious?

What happened to the ads that promote the historic image of our cars: an elite, desirable, DRIVER'S car that appreciated for it's styling, performance, and heritage? Remember the 550 spyder/Boxster ad with the guy that just came out of the comma?

The print ads are top notch. My favorite: "911 Turbo - Kills bugs fast". Why can't they translate this into TV spots?

Edit: just saw a new ad for the Bimmer 3-series. Shows a guy out "enjoying his car" while the announcer talks about about how doctors have determined it's beneficial to raise your heartbeat at least 30mins each day. "The BMW 3-series: here's to your health". That's a good ad!

I never see any Porsche ads on tv but I quite like these printed examples:





Oh and I love the old Porsche slogan: Fahren in seiner schönsten Form. Just perfect, even better than "There is no substitute".

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

I e-mailed a friend of mine who's a PR guy at PCNA and told him 1/I found the taxicab ad marginally racist, since the driver is portrayed as such an obese cliche, 2/the couple quitting their meetings to go off and play in the Boxster were deceitful, and 3/I failed to understand why they were portraying the moron in the motorhome as, assumedly, a potential Cayenne customer.

He said he agreed entirely, but they hadn't had any complaints yet about the ads.

Stephan

[Joe Bob]

Typical ad guy.....what was your inquiry supposed to be?

[ChrisL]

How about other companies that use references to Porsche? Like this:

http://www.hpbroadband.com/program.cfm?key=E91ASG482D

Chris.

[350HP930]

The last ad that I saw that I loved is the one where the little girl 'misses' the bus so she can have her dad take her to school in his turbo. Then the ad ends showing her on the next day 'missing' the bus again.

That hit the right spot with me since I wouldn't mind taking my 3 year old daughter to school in the turbo when she is old enough.

I guess I am fortunate that I have not seen the recent dissapointments you posted about.

[on-ramp]

Didn't these ads originate from the same company that decided to build an SUV and call it a Porsche?

is anyone really that surprised?

[Sonic dB]

I think you guys need to relax just a little.

Yes, I agree that the ad with the taxi was dumb and in this age of being Politically Correct...could be pointed at by some as "racist".

Yes, I agree that the ad with the couple skipping out of work was a little dumb... but only marginally points to "ethics". I mean... how many of you havent skipped out of work to take some time off with the family? Im not saying its right...but the point of the commercial is 'escape the everyday with your Boxter'

Also... I think, that as owners of the older "classic" 911/930s, we need to cherish what we had: Incredible cars that are still running great, looking better than most anything on the road, and keeping us very happy when we are behind the wheel.

The current Porsche, obviously is very different. The cars, other than the Boxter (which could be an S2000 or Z3/Z4 if you squint wrong) are unattainable by the normal household income. The 911 is a completely different vehicle than our versions...but its still a pretty kickass, sweet performing and looking ride.

As for the Cayenne...I think its great. Why should any car company not tap into an obviously profitable market? From what I hear, the Cayenne kicks ass and is quality inside and out.

In conclusion... dont worry, dont be threatened...you car still holds its value and mystique... Unless you own a Porsche built in the last 3-4 years, then you really shouldnt sweat what they are doing as a company as far as advertising or production. You have a piece of their pie...but its an old piece.

[350HP930]

Originally posted by BillyPilgrim
I don't like the ad with the little girl, maybe because I don't have kids. I tend to think Porsche should be about kicking a$$ and not about driving around little kids.

True, but many of us have admitted on this board our love for the cars being ingrained in us as children when we witnessed the beauty and mystique of our cars and wished we could have a ride in one if we were lucky enough.

[ZAMIRZ]

Oh come on......what's wrong with the adds, it seems like they did their job for you to keep watching until the end since you can explain all of them in pretty good detail. My personal favorite is the valet commercial with the silver 996 and then the one where the 550 spyder and boxster roll up next to each other. I've seen the Cayenne one and wasn't impressed by the content, but I must say that the silver Cayenne on the dirt road did look very nice. Then again, I like the Cayenne unlike a lot of the haters here so that might be why.

[Supergranule]

i remember a commercal for a the 993 that thought was pretty cool. it showed 2 993s coming out of the factory, and one went on to be a road car, and the other went on the be a race car. anybody remember that one? it was quite a few years ago...

[Wil Ferch]

As long as this post started, let me say something about the pick-up trash ad ( Keep the roads beautiful / Springfield Porsche club, etc etc).........
Is it just me, or is that the most *awful* , potato-stuck-up-your-arse engine sound? Where the heck did they ever get *that* sound track for an engine ???

Yeah, the little girl ad and the man-in-coma 550 ad put these all to shame.

---Wil Ferch

[LeeH]

Funny, my three year old daughter can't ride in my car without sticking her hand out into the air stream.

[jyl]

I remember a Porsche TV ad from about 10 years ago (mid-eighties, I think) that was 60 non-stop seconds of 911 racing clips, strung together staccato in MTV-style. No commentary at all. Now those were the days . . .

[john70t]

Porsche should have hired the VW or milk ad firm.

[Adam]

Originally posted by supergranule:
i remember a commercal for a the 993 that thought was pretty cool. it showed 2 993s coming out of the factory, and one went on to be a road car, and the other went on the be a race car. anybody remember that one? it was quite a few years ago...

Those 993 ads were pretty good, except for the gushing voice-over by Patrick Stewart: "Reinhardt and his co-workers test drive every new 911... on the AU-TO-BAH-NNN!"

[nostatic]

man...tough crowd. Sure you guys don't all work as a professional focus group somewhere...maybe Crankyville? FWIW I think their ads are somewhere in the middle of the pack. VW's agency is particulary good. The spot "Bubble" (set to "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO) is absolute art...one of the best commercials EVER done. I have copies on my desktop and I'll just sit and watch it over and over every so often.

I think the coma and kid ads were high points. I'm not as offended by the ditching work/boxster ad...come on guys, "portrays owners as deceitful"? Do you get a nosebleed on that high horse? It's not reality, its advertising! Besides, the look on the portly compu-geek's face who was rambling on at lunch when the guys leaves is great.

The taxi one bugs me, not for the lack of PC-ness, but the fact that the beater 'merikun sedan actually was able to keep up with the Cayenne. Now *that's* a lousy message imho.

Porsche has a pretty narrow, high brow audience. Most here are *not* the target (no offense to those with elevated brows). Don't expect to be blown away by their campaigns, especially given their trajectory.

[HarryD]

Originally posted by Sonic dB
...snip ... The cars, other than the Boxter (which could be an S2000 or Z3/Z4 if you squint wrong) are unattainable by the normal household income. The 911 is a completely different vehicle than our versions...but its still a pretty kickass, sweet performing and looking ride....snip...

Sonic,

When were Porsches ever attainable by folks of Ordinary income?

Here are some examples:
1976 914 - $7,250 I bought my '76 Skyhawk that year for $4,000.
1979 924 $14,600, I bought my '79 Spitfire for $7,600.

The 911's were significantly more.

[thamlin000]

I'm partial to the the 993 crash test tv ad.

I found it refreshing to learn that Porsche's factory cabriolet-roof stitchers (who spent someting like 10 hrs hand stiching each top) had the option to shut the window blinds that view the 993 Cabriolet crash tests.

I think Porsche ads, then and now, are all pretty good.

[Sonic dB]

When were Porsches ever attainable by folks of Ordinary income?

Harry... I understand your point...and I knew when I wrote that, that someone would probably call me out on it.

The figures you mentioned, the P-Cars were 2X as much as the regular cars in those days.

Today, its at least 4X as much and onwards up to 8X.... thats what Im talking about.

Typical entry level 911 Carerra costs about 80K? Whats a Toyota Celica cost about 20K?


* But thats not the main reason why I brought that up... what I really meant to say was, unless you own a current Porsche....then you really dont have any room to criticize their advertising. Its not advertising on YOUR 25 year old 911.

Thats one of the things that I dont care for that we owners of older 911s often do: arrogance of being a Porsche owner... Hey, you and me own Porsches which probably cost less than $20K and are many years old.... we love em' but by no means are we the Rockefellers of the roadways, so we shouldnt have our noses up like it.