Friday, April 20, 2012

Feel free to take the leap without me, Honda



Here's another "this car will bring all your dreams within reach" commercial.  You know what I'm talking about- the kind of ad which tries to convince you that your humdrum, routine life will suddenly be transformed into a rollicking, fun-filled adventure the moment you purchase this or that automobile.   You can find the concept right next to "This Beer will turn any situation into an instant party" or "this deodorant attracts beautiful women" in the Advertiser's Bible.

In this Honda ad, we are told that we really ought to do certain things before taking the "Leap of Life."  First of all, what does that even mean?  What "Leap" is Honda talking about?  Why does this sound suspiciously like a "Bucket List" to me?  Considering that the company is trying to sell me an SUV, does the "Leap of Life" mean "getting married and having kids?"  I can certainly see how "dying" and "getting married and having kids" could easily be confused.  I'll have to give Honda this round.

But- those certain things?  Well, they are pretty damned dumb- Join a polar bear club.  Go to something called "Rodeo Clown Camp."  Spend the night in a haunted house.  Swim with sharks.  And not only are they all pretty dumb, they also all have something in common- you don't need a Honda SUV to do them.

And that's the part I really find mystifying in this ad:  Honda wants us to do all those things that Honda thinks would be really cool and edgy and exciting before we take the Leap of Life, but Honda never explains to us why we need one of their overpriced, oversized transports to get them done.  It would have been more honest if they had included in their list Fill up your tank for $120.  Because that's certainly something you'll be doing in your new Honda SUV.  A lot.

Especially if you want to take it along for the ride when you go visit that haunted house or attend Rodeo Clown Camp (seriously.  Rodeo Clown Camp?)  On the other hand, I strongly encourage the people who wrote this weird junk to go swimming with sharks.  I just hope they don't forget to rub themselves liberally with blood and fish guts first.




1 comment:

  1. Man. I thought that they were pushing it with the 'buy our car and you can compare yourself to a Red Green impersonator, a zombie lawyer, a peppy meltdown survivor, a masked wrestler or a cute ninja girl' promotion.

    ReplyDelete