Friday, January 8, 2010

I don't get it

Will someone please explain to me why this ad would make me want to buy a Toyota 4Runner? It starts off with a simple banner for the product. Am I in? I don't know.

A slider appears. I slide it from "out" to "in."

Creepy-crawlies of all types begin to infest the ad, becoming more and more numerous. It kind of makes me think of the scene early in the "Fellowship of the Ring" when the hobbits are hiding from the Nazgul in a ditch, and worms, spiders, and scorpions start to ooze out of the earth.

The end. A few spiders remain. I wonder why there was a man's arm in the ad, just sitting there, and now it's gone.

I have a pretty extensive background in marketing, so usually I can suss out what an ad is trying to accomplish, but this one has me stumped. I now associate 4Runners with being covered in insects and arachnids. That's not a positive association for me.

Does anyone have an explanation?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is completely bizarre. I don't get it either--and I have a background in marketing too. I'll have to show this to my husband--another marketing geek--and see what he thinks.

halfpassgirl said...

Given the kind of automobile it is, do you suppose they're trying to suggest it's good for camping? But do they really want to so strongly associate camping with bugs? After seeing the ad, I don't want a 4Runner AND I don't want to go camping.

DavisNS said...

Um... Getting into the vehicle = Getting away from the bugs?

Faint praise for the Toy Yoda, as presumably any vehicle would do in those circumstances.

EcoLicious Equestrian said...

I cannot offer an explanation...but Toyota I am FOR SURE out! in spite of my love for great outdoors...

Stephanie - Siouxzeegirl Designs said...

hmmmm... I have no idea what they were thinking! I would not even go test drive that thing for fear of finding some unwanted creepy crawlies from the add coming out from under the seats. Very bizarre indeed!

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Funder said...

I googled it. I think you're supposed to think of bugs == adventure. I like to think my truck protects me from the evil bugs that infest our planet, and I wouldn't buy one that proclaimed it'd get me closer to the bugs.

Anonymous said...

so maybe this is just a guy thing...my son for example can't get enough of bugs.

Anonymous said...

I was thinking outdoors/camping or Fear Factor. I searched it though: http://tinyurl.com/yc5nlow

I think they missed the mark.