Essay 275

“Born from Jets” — the new advertising brainstorm from Saab — appears to be utilizing stealth tactics to defend the position.

When the campaign launched about a month ago, the industry reaction was a collective shrug and yawn. Ernie Schenck panned the work on his blog, and AdPulp.com questioned Saab’s ability to push the envelope (which incidentally, is a phrase rooted in aeronautics). Adfolks joined the threads, agreeing the idea sucks. After all, it’s not the first time carmakers featured such imagery. Nissan once produced a stunning spot with a jet fighter pursuing the Turbo Z. Volvo unveiled an inane Super Bowl commercial comparing its rides to a space rocket. In addition, Saab has tapped its own airplane heritage before. So the latest stuff seemed very “been there, done that” — and others had even done that better.

Now, it’s hardly extraordinary for bloggers to critique new campaigns. But this Saab story is a little different. As pundits posted comments, rebuttals started to pop up. The opposing viewpoints gushed over the new ads and cars, reading suspiciously like the writings of Saab brand managers, Saab advertising agency executives and Saab dealers. It almost looked as if the people responsible for “Born from Jets” were firing counterstrikes.

Then the December 5, 2005 issue of Advertising Age ran a full-page promotional ad from Lowe (Saab’s AOR). The headline declared:

“‘Born From Jets’ has to be one of automotive history’s greatest marketing taglines.” Advertising Age, 11/7/05 on Saab’s new advertising

A review of the November 7, 2005 edition referenced in the Lowe promo piece failed to uncover the quoted praise. MultiCultClassics will send an autographed photo of Jet Li to the first person that locates the real puffery.

Advertisers today are hyping their goods and services via vehicles beyond traditional media. But it’s bizarre that anyone deemed it necessary to confront bloggers and assorted online smart alecks.

In the end, the responses from Saab backers seem born from desperation and paranoia.

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(To view one of the Saab-related threads mentioned above, click on the essay title.)