Insane Car Commercials and Advertising You Have To See To Believe

The auto industry makes up one of the largest advertising sectors, so it is no surprise that some of the most inventive, funny, touching and downright absurd marketing schemes were carried out by car manufacturers. In the pages ahead we’ll explore some of the more curious, influential and ingenious advertising campaigns put out by automakers. Some are funny, while others will leave you wanting more. They say to start with a joke, so our first is a bit of comedy from over several seas.

Toyota Hilux - “Bugger”

We’ll get this one off the list quickly here. Apparently, in places outside North America, “bugger” is a four-letter word. On this side of the pond, however, it’s little more than a witty Britishism. This commercial out of New Zealand was also aired in Australia. It garnered more than a hundred complaints and, judging by the comment section on youtube, started more than a few flame wars between Kiwis and Aussies, both claiming the commercial as their own. Officially, the advert was produced for Toyota New Zealand, filmed in New Zealand and had a Kiwi director. However, Australians are quick to point out that the lead actor is from Aus. This ad is only the first we’ll see from either of these countries and Toyota.

Ford released this ad on Australian television back in 2012 for the Falcon. The spot features two cane toads having a humorous discussion on a roadway about the poor performance of four-cylinder engines before one of the toads - I won’t spoil which one - is mushed by the oncoming car. The ad ends with the tagline “Six-cylinder performance from a four-cylinder engine.” The shocking and gruesome ad raked in seventy-five thousand views in its first week alone and incited a knock-off from GM’s European brand, Opel, which we’ll take a look at in the next slide.