Monday, August 29, 2016

13320: CARFAX Is So Ghetto.

PR Newswire reported CARFAX hired Campbell Ewald as its new White Agency of Record. “We were very impressed by Campbell Ewald’s work helping other companies better understand the needs of their customers,” gushed CARFAX President Dick Raines. “We’re excited about working with Campbell Ewald to let consumers know about all the new ways we can help with their used cars.” The first campaign will probably hype CARFAX’s new “Summer Ghetto Days” sales promotion.

Campbell Ewald Appointed Agency Of Record For CARFAX

DETROIT/PRNewswire/ -- Marketing communications agency Campbell Ewald today announced that it has been named agency of record for CARFAX, the vehicle history expert for used car buyers, sellers and the automotive industry, following a competitive review.

Campbell Ewald’s scope of work for CARFAX includes brand and product positioning, creative strategy and direction and the creation of a comprehensive Consumer Experience Journey Map.

The news comes after Campbell Ewald was recently selected as the new creative agency for IHOP.

“With automotive shopping being an overwhelming and intimidating process for some consumers, our work will showcase the ease, reliability and range of services available from CARFAX,” said Kevin Wertz, CEO of Campbell Ewald. “With more than a century of experience working with the auto industry, and our proven expertise in the purchase journey of today’s consumers, we know this partnership will be an exciting one for both Campbell Ewald and CARFAX.”

Campbell Ewald will work with CARFAX to evolve the brand by raising awareness as the company continues to expand its portfolio of product offerings. The agency will continue to leverage the brand’s iconic CAR FOX, which was created in 2009.

“We have been working hard to develop new products that help people buy, sell and own their cars with more confidence,” said Dick Raines, president of CARFAX. “We were very impressed by Campbell Ewald’s work helping other companies better understand the needs of their customers. We’re excited about working with Campbell Ewald to let consumers know about all the new ways we can help with their used cars.”

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just like with Gustavo Martinez getting a golden cushion from his agency friends, CARFAX is a perfect example of bros helping bros.

There is absolutely no real penalty in American advertising for discrimination, if you are part of a circle of white guys protecting and supporting other white guys.

Someone in that circle will always step in to make your life easier, even when you host a ghetto party, see nothing wrong with hosting it, and move to shut down and banish the POC who raised the red flag about it.

So at the end of the day, the message to advertising, and consumers, is "POC consumers' money is good for our pockets, but POC in our industry are not as welcome at the table as our own bros."

Anonymous said...

You know what, I've followed this blog on and off for a few years. I've come back recently and I'm really not sure why. It's not that you guys aren't doing good work or fighting the good fight, but I think it's like what the above poster is saying... what does the advertising industry really have to do with me as a black man?

I tried for a few years to get in and it was a waste of time and a waste of an undergrad degree. I think I just like black people speaking up about black issues.

AFAIK, it's just one of the few remaining industries (and I couldn't say what the others are) where white people can earn a lot of money without any skills or credentials.

There were a few places on the net where black people used to discuss these things, but I don't think they're still around or active.

It's almost time for Where Are All the Black People again. I wonder if they have anything to show as far as retention of the people given opportunities or if there will be an event at all. I'm just under the impression that there's less black people in advertising now than when I graduated a few years ago.

Anonymous2 said...

Anon, I'm also under the impression that there are far fewer black people in U.S. advertising than a few decades ago.

It's like we're supposed to completely ignore the signs and absences all around us, and focus on touchy-feely 2016 slogans like "diversity and inclusion!" and "unconscious bias!" and pretend that the emperor has clothes.

The emperor has no clothes.

Hiring white women and giving yourself diversity awards for it isn't diversity, ad industry.

Hiring hundreds of foreign visa holders from overseas and pretending that's the same as hiring POC inside America isn't diversity either.

Hiring summer MAIP interns and keeping their photos up year round on your agency website so you have a spot of color here and there isn't diversity.

There WERE places to discuss these issues years ago, but they're all gone now. I feel like this one blog is the only lighthouse left with the light still on.

Anonymous said...

Same Anon from above...

I even applied for MAIP when I was in undergrad and no dice. I did meet a classmate (a sister/creative) who was chosen and she got to intern in Chicago. She was probably the most ambitious black person I had seen in our whole ad program. We didn't meet til our final year, but by that point she had done 7 internships (Chicago included). It wasn't until she placed in a contest that she was offered an internship-to-job offer in NYC.

IIRC, within a year she hated her situation and she was playing the game to the fullest. She gave it her all, yet she can't even make a case for another black person to go through all the trouble she did. I haven't heard from her in 3 years, but I have just a fraction of her tolerance for "playing the game."

Quick story of my own. I applied to work at a small local black (woman) owned shop just for an internship. Again, no dice. There wasn't a single black person actually working there when I interviewed. A girl in my class got the internship. A white girl... everyone working there was a white girl (and I do mean girl, they could've all been in my class). So I asked her what's up with that place, she told me straight up... "Ya know, we wanna be able to talk girl talk."

I had an interview one time, again just for an internship, with 3 white girls all younger than me (I was 27 at the time--older student). They looked like kids to me. I commented here some months ago, that before this blog I didn't know there was ANY kind of shortage of white women in advertising.

I'd say we've successfully been gentrified out of the industry. I have no further aspiration to it, but I would love to hear what some of the most vocal people from a few years ago would say today.

Anonymous said...

Car fax is deceitful. I bought a $69 package and Carfax Changed it to their cheapest package. The information that they gave me about the car that I was inquiring about was not accurate. It said the car had never been in an accident and it only had one owner,plus it had mold in it , I had it cleaned several times but that didn't help the smell at all. It had been in an accident also it had more than one owner, and it didn't reveal that the car had been in walter. I found this information out when I decided to trade that car in for another car. I was so angry because I trusted that money grubbing car fax. Take my advice and choose another company. Don't trust the BBC symbol when it pertains to car fax.

Sarcasmo said...

Was the Smelly Car episode from Seinfeld, adapted after you? If so, can I have your autograph? Lol

Smell ya later.