Marketing

Jimmy Car Car” is taking his show on the road. Or rather, the man who still answers to that childhood nickname — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley — is now doing a show about the road. Farley has taken on podcast hosting in addition to his role leading America’s second-biggest automaker. His weekly show

DETROIT — It’s no secret what Dodge is about these days. The brand spent the last eight years recasting itself as a youthful purveyor of American muscle, led by its powerful Hellcats and edgy advertising. Focusing on the high-octane realm has supercharged its base of enthusiasts and sparked an active following of millions online. Now,

Can a bunch of college students solve some of the most vexing automotive engineering challenges facing the industry? Over the next four years, 15 universities across North America will be competing to engineer the most efficient battery-electric vehicles possible while combining connected and autonomous tech — and keeping them fun to drive for consumers. The

As brands rush to tell consumers about what electric vehicles can offer, Ford Motor Co. is trying to bring the “frunk” into the cultural lexicon. Frunk is slang for front trunk, or the empty space in the front hood where the gas-powered cars keep the engine. EVs don’t use internal combustion engines, freeing the space

Detroit used to have an auto show every year, so the legend goes. The show is scheduled to return this September for the first time in more than three and a half years, and the main floor is completely sold out, organizers said last week. At least five active vehicle tracks will be set up

Two ads for the Land Rover Defender have been banned in the United Kingdom over concerns that they could mislead viewers into thinking the vehicles would keep drivers from going over a cliff. The ads showed a Defender parking at the end of a cliff as the vehicle’s backup sensors make a beeping sound. Two

As brands rush to tell consumers about what electric vehicles can offer, Ford Motor Co. is trying to bring “frunk” into the cultural lexicon. “Frunk” is slang for front trunk, or the empty space under the hood where most gasoline-powered vehicles have an engine. The frunk is representative of how the arrival of mainstream EVs

Ford is taking what appears to be a subtle shot at Elon Musk in a new campaign set to get airplay during this weekend’s Kentucky Derby coverage on NBC.  The effort from Wieden+Kennedy has blue-collar sensibilities and aims to promote the automaker’s status as a major employer of hourly workers. One ad begins with scenes

Most brands mine social media and influencer trends to tap into popular crazes. But Chrysler is using one rising phenomenon as a foil — #VanLife. The hashtag, which is affixed to social content plugging the kind of nomadic lifestyle that has gained traction during the pandemic, serves as the inspiration for a new campaign for

Volvo-backed Polestar’s ad with potshots at rivals Tesla and Volkswagen topped the list of the most popular commercials during Super Bowl LVI, according to consumer search data firm Edo, despite being the lowest-rated automaker spot in the annual USA Today Ad Meter. Polestar’s 30-second ad performed roughly 23 times better than other commercials aired during

Chevrolet gave fans of “The Sopranos” a partial answer to the mystery of what happened after the screen went black at the end of the HBO series 15 years ago: Tony’s kids grew up and bought electric vehicles. The Super Bowl commercial for the Silverado EV brought together Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played daughter Meadow, and

Reflecting on this year’s Super Bowl ads, I suspect I’m going to sound grumpy and old — except that I’m not complaining about the hip-hop halftime show and Eminem taking a knee. Full disclosure: I’m no fan of the NFL, having quit watching the league almost three decades ago. Aside from one game at Ford

Subaru climbed two spots to first place in Consumer Reports‘ annual ranking of the most well-performing, safe and reliable automotive brands. Mazda, which was No. 1 in 2021, finished second this year. Six of the top 10 brands this year were Japanese; the highest-ranking U.S. brand was Buick, which was 11th.Jeep dropped three spots to

DETROIT — Philanthropist and former NBA star Jalen Rose is teaming with Jeep on a social media campaign called “Where I’m From.” The campaign combines product, personality and community. It begins with a 60-second spot in which Rose — the Detroit native and ESPN analyst who played basketball for the University of Michigan and several

Early in the year is an opportune time to assess your business — what’s working and what’s not — to help revenue grow. A major expense for dealerships is advertising and lead generation. In 2021, the U.S. reached $13.29 billion in automotive digital ad spend, according to eMarketer. Are you paying for channels and vendors

The five-person C-level leadership team at Fox Dealer consists of four people of color and one woman. More broadly, about half of the Pasadena, Calif., dealership marketing company’s nearly 90-employee work force is made up of people of color, and 35 percent is female, said CEO GianCarlo Alabastro, who is of Filipino descent. The company

Is Kia‘s Robo Dog here to stay? The cute electronic canine has a star turn in Kia’s 13th Super Bowl spot, which features the EV6. The dog, longing for an owner, chases down the battery-electric crossover with hopes that the driver will take it home. Kia created adorable ambassadors before with its dancing hamsters. The

Dr. Evil takes over GM Dr. Evil has met his ultimate enemy: climate change. That’s the message in General Motors‘ Super Bowl commercial this year. When the antagonist of the Austin Powers movies learns that climate change has displaced him as the biggest threat to the world, he’s determined to reclaim top villain status by

For automakers, this year’s Super Bowl might as well be called the Electric Bowl.  Volvo’s EV brand Polestar on Thursday confirmed it will run an ad in the game that is already filled with spots from Kia, BMW, General Motors and Nissan—which are all pitching EVs with expensive celebrity-filled ads. There is even an electric

DETROIT — Dr. Evil has met his ultimate enemy: climate change. That’s the message in General Motors‘ Super Bowl commercial this year. When the antagonist of the Austin Powers movies learns that climate change has displaced him as the biggest threat to the world, he’s determined to reclaim top villain status by getting everyone in

There’s a message behind Eugene Levy’s flowing hair, leather jacket and bravado in Nissan’s Super Bowl spot. The actor, known for his comedic roles, morphs into an action hero when he gets behind the wheel of the redesigned Z coupe and zooms past a new Nissan entry — the electric Ariya crossover — in the

How do you get people to think about their next car in a pandemic, when showrooms are closed and motor shows are canceled? Volvo’s agency in Belgium has come up with a plan. The Brussels Motor Show 2022 was due to take place in January but was postponed for a whole year due to COVID. So

A marketing company and its owner have appealed a Federal Trade Commission ban following what the agency deemed deceptive dealership mailers and auto lending disclosure violations. FTC commissioners in October ruled 4-0 that Traffic Jam Events and its owner, David Jeansonne, had violated the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Truth in Lending Act with

An “oversharing mom” who can’t stop talking about her Carvana buying experience takes center stage in the online used-vehicle retailer’s first-ever Super Bowl ad. Carvana released the 30-second commercial on Wednesday. It will air nationally during the Feb. 13 game. It depicts a talkative mom character telling person after person she encounters — her son,

Chatty mom hypes Carvana experience An “oversharing mom” who can’t stop talking about her Carvana buying experience takes center stage in the online used-vehicle retailer’s first-ever Super Bowl ad. Arnold Schwarzenegger is Zeus in this BMW spot No, the action star and former governor of California is not coming out with a new movie about

The next-generation Nissan Z sports car receives top billing in the brand’s Super Bowl commercial, which will be aired during the game Feb. 13. Nissan Motor Co. released two teasers of the commercial, called “Thrill Driver,” which is set up as an action-packed, comedy-thriller movie premiere. The 60-second ad features actors Eugene Levy, Danai Gurira

Instead of running a Super Bowl commercial this year, Hyundai is getting into a fictional version of the game with the help of an imaginary ad crew. The automaker’s upcoming Ioniq 5 was featured in the ABC sitcom “black-ish” this month, with star Anthony Anderson, who plays an ad executive named Andre Johnson, working on

In Acura’s new campaign, the cars it is trying to sell are nearly secondary to the anime characters it has created — almost. In its attempt to connect with younger generations, the brand has created an anime series-based ad campaign that focuses on the story of Japanese-American girl Chiaki, who is learning how to race

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House lawmakers who head key subcommittees on oversight and trade criticized Tesla’s recent expansion in Xinjiang, China. “Your misguided expansion into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region sets a poor example and further empowers the (Chinese government),” said Democrats Bill Pascrell and Earl Blumenauer in a joint letter to Tesla CEO Elon

BMW will advertise in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years. A U.S. spokesman for the German luxury auto brand confirmed the ad buy but did not share details. BMW last appeared in the game in 2015 with an ad starring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. It flashed back to 1994 when