If there's any one thing this blog is really devoted to, it's advertising (some sketch ideas and fake products, but mostly it's based on ads, both real and imaginary), and making fun of what doesn't work (in my opinion), trying to suggest fixes where applicable, and crediting what does work.
And this ad for Auto Trader really does work! It takes something we all know (The Dukes of Hazzard), and shows them wanting a new car. It's a great idea, and it shows us what the product/service is and does, and why we might want it. It's super fun, and I think you'll find a lot of joke and proposed ads on this blog I've written that use the same type of strategy (something everyone knows, put into service to sell a product, and entertain along the way).
The only thing I'd say that could improve this ad would be for the Duke boys (now middle aged men) to be running from the cops in their old Dodge Charger, but they get caught by the new police cars and arrested. And so when they get out on bail, they say to each other: "Wow, we need a new car to outrun the new interceptors the police are using now!" And so they look on Auto Trader to find just the right car, and then we see them outrunning the cops just like they used to. (See what I mean about how this might demonstrate why they need the service?)
I mean, they do say they need a faster car, but it could be demonstrated better, I think. But it's a very minor quibble, one which might be completely unnecessary anyway. But regardless, this ad made me actually cheer when I saw it, because this is what I think advertising ought to be: pop-culture-referencing fun, with a message that actually informs us about a product or service we might want to use, which shows us why we might need or want it, and in a memorable manner that makes us actually remember the company afterwards.
Here's the super speeding spot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aemy611wCI
(BTW: There's another version of this ad, or another ad in this campaign, that does part of what I suggested above, but I hadn't seen it yet. They don't actually get arrested, but they do get caught by newer police cars.)
