B.S. in Toyota Advertising
June 11th, 2012 by Bob Bly
A commercial for the Toyota Corolla proclaims the car has “legendary miles per gallon.”
What does THAT mean?
The viewer takes it to mean that Toyota is not revealing its mpg because it isn’t that good.
The Corolla’s mpg does not have to be the best — mpg isn’t the only factor deciding whether consumers buy a car.
But it should be good … at least 30 mpg or more.
If so, say what the mpg is.
If not, then don’t mention miles per gallon at all; focus on other features.
But “legendary” is Madison Avenue “adspeak” the consumer rightly interprets as B.S.
This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2012 at 5:24 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 11th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
The odd thing about it is the fact that MPG is a measurement. How does a measurement qualify as legendary — unless it applies to, say, Marilyn Monroe?
June 12th, 2012 at 7:06 am
A legend (i.e. legendary) refers to a story that is thought to be historical but that’s not verifiable. Technically, this rules out Marilyn as she was quite verifiable
As for Toyota, it’s a very poor use of the word but this is not a new tactic by Madison Ave. For them, it’s not about being correct, it’s about creating emotion and we all love our legends and legendary things.
June 12th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Automotive advertising seems to be getting more and more vague
June 30th, 2012 at 11:19 am
Legendary miles per gallon??? Not able to convince me to buy its car, sorry!
August 14th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
I too, have become much more discerning in what I want to hear from advertising. Words like ‘Dynamic’ or ‘Legendary’ don’t help me decide how a product will benefit me.
In a ladies’ clothing catalog, the phrase, “Fully Fashioned Sleeves” is common. Well I certainly hope they are fully fashioned and not cut off somewhere in the middle!
Ad ad I read in a travel brochure boasted of the “Uninhabited white sand beaches” nearby, yet in the next sentence it assured “5-Star Dining”. What? The diners don’t go for a swim?
August 30th, 2012 at 10:37 am
Sad to see such nonsense in advertising. The statement does not mean anything to the average car buyer. Most I know of that are buying cars want to know exactly the MPG along with warranty. I also don’t see how that creates emotion.
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