Every year, car manufacturers from around the globe spend billions of dollars of their hard-earned cash on advertising in an effort to promote and show off their latest offerings. Interestingly, it has been found that car companies are, in fact, one of the biggest spenders out of any industry when it comes to advertising; splurging out more on commercials than film producers and pharmaceutical companies combined.
Rather unfortunately, most of the commercials that are produced by car companies are sleep-inducing and irritating due to the fact that they delay you from watching YouTube videos, or interrupt your Spotify playlist every 5 minutes because you were too tight to pay for the premium subscription.
However, every now and then, a car commercial will come along that will inspire, amaze, and possibly go viral; becoming so popular that you will try and watch it on YouTube, only to be interrupted by an inferior commercial from McDonalds. And when this happens – for us petrolheads at least – it will remind us just why it is that we love cars.
So, in celebration of the commercials that go the extra mile to impress us on both a sensory and visual level, we have compiled a list of the 5 most impressive commercials from the world of motoring. So sit back, buckle-up, and enjoy the ride.
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Table of Contents
1. BMW M4 and the ‘Ultimate Racetrack’.
This video was unleashed upon the internet early last week, and car websites have been going crazy for it ever since. Made by the clever people at BMW Canada, it shows us the amazing BMW M4 screaming around a racetrack atop the deck a massive navy aircraft carrier. Whilst there is rather a large amount of CGI wizardry at play here, the combined brilliance of the roaring engine, the screeching tires and the copious amounts of sideways action make for an adrenaline packed piece of film!
2. JCVD and his “Most Epic of Splits”
This commercial caused quite a stir when it first went viral. Although it has been around for a little while now, it is still just as amazing now as it was back when it first came out.. Made by some clever Swedes at Volvo in order to showcase the stability and precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering, it features action hero, and general hard-man Jean-Claude Van Damme performing what he labels “the most epic of splits”. If you haven’t seen it already, prepare to be rendered speechless.
3. The Original Volkswagen Golf GTI
In comparison to the previous two commercials, this next one is really rather humble. Coming from the pages of time, this ad for the original Volkswagen Golf has no special effects or ridiculous demonstrations of physical prowess. It does, however, succeed in conveying a delightfully simple and clever marketing message, whilst also managing to be entertaining at the same time. This is how a car commercial should be done!
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4. ‘The Cog’
This next commercial, known only as “The Cog” in advertising circles, was premiered to the world in 2003 to advertise the Honda Accord. Being nothing short of epic, this 2 minute clip was completed after no less than 606 takes, spread across 4 days of filming. Costing a hefty sum of £1,000,000 to produce, it was unveiled during an ad break (funnily enough) during the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. See what Honda’s money was spent on in the video below.
5. Shell/Ferrari Formula 1
The final commercial on this list appeals to the racing driver within every petrolhead, and helps to make the dull subject of petrol seem really quite exciting. Here, we are presented with an exciting depiction of the evolution of Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars through the years. You just can’t help but get shivers down your spine upon hearing the furious engine notes of classic Formula 1 cars being belted down country roads and through city centres. Give it a watch, you know you want to.
