How Car Dealership Ads Became the Best Comedians on Local TV
I’ve recently fallen down a rabbit hole watching local car dealership TV ads from the last 15 years, and I can confidently say this: nobody commits to low-budget chaos with more passion than a regional Holden or Suzuki salesman wearing sunglasses indoors.
These ads broke all the rules of marketing... and accidentally made themselves unforgettable. Forget sleek product shots or clever storytelling. We had green screens with broken outlines, jingles that sounded like ringtones from a 2004 Nokia, and a guy yelling, "We’re slashing prices!" like he was announcing the end of days. Yet here I am still thinking about them.
What’s fascinating is how completely these ads zigged while everyone else zagged toward polish. They weren't trying to be cool. That was their power. They knew their audience: people flicking through Freeview at 6.48pm who needed a ute and a laugh. And they delivered both. More authenticity than any influencer campaign and more staying power than any agency-led brand refresh.
Now that everything has gone beige with brand purpose and digital-first strategy decks, I miss the glorious chaos. There’s something to be said for marketing that doesn’t try to transcend the medium, but dives into it face-first wearing a loosely hanging necktie and a cowboy hat. It made you look. Then it made you smile.
These ads broke all the rules of marketing... and accidentally made themselves unforgettable. Forget sleek product shots or clever storytelling. We had green screens with broken outlines, jingles that sounded like ringtones from a 2004 Nokia, and a guy yelling, "We’re slashing prices!" like he was announcing the end of days. Yet here I am still thinking about them.
What’s fascinating is how completely these ads zigged while everyone else zagged toward polish. They weren't trying to be cool. That was their power. They knew their audience: people flicking through Freeview at 6.48pm who needed a ute and a laugh. And they delivered both. More authenticity than any influencer campaign and more staying power than any agency-led brand refresh.
Now that everything has gone beige with brand purpose and digital-first strategy decks, I miss the glorious chaos. There’s something to be said for marketing that doesn’t try to transcend the medium, but dives into it face-first wearing a loosely hanging necktie and a cowboy hat. It made you look. Then it made you smile.