In high school, a buddy of mine and I often traded notes between classes. These notes consisted of little more than the random wit and doodles of two really bored teenagers, but they were often pretty funny. One practice we engaged in was creating ad copy for fake products. This copy was always rich with absurd branded slogans and liberal use of the ™ tag.
Favorite Car Ads: 1949 Ford
I recall a series of faux ads I created for a product called Uncle Mort’s Seafood Lube. Uncle Mort’s was available in flavors including tartar and dill, and was designed to help folks with sensitive digestive tracts process oily deep-fried food. My ad copy included references to patented “Greez-Sorb™ Technology, and Gas-Bloc™ anti-unpleasantness nodules. Good times.
Given my love for absurd branding, it is only natural that I would find the Ford advertisement shown below so compelling. The ad, celebrating the introduction of the truly revolutionary 1949 Ford lineup, calls out an amazing seven distinct features–all of which have been blessed with great branded tags (I added the ™ symbols to really drive home the point):
Marketing Madness! An Ad Gallery of Co-Branded Cars
- Hydra-Coil™ Front Springs
- Magic-Air™ Temperature Control
- Mid Ship™ Ride
- Sofa-Wide™ Seats
- Magic Action™ King-Size Brakes
- Picture Window™ Visibility
- Deep Deck™ Luggage Locker
A few thoughts: As the car in the ad is a convertible, I would hope that visibility would generally be good. My favorite of the tags is “Mid Ship” ride–I somehow know exactly what that’s supposed to mean, without actually having a clue what it means. That’s good ad writing.
Listen to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Favorite Car Ads: 1949 Ford
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Favorite Car Ads: 1949 Ford
