The Chicago Auto Show that opened to the public over the weekend provided confirmation that, the way brands selling cars in the U.S. market see it, 2012 is the year for a return to performance and fun.

Despite gasoline prices that remain stubbornly high at around $3.50 a gallon, and a continued proliferation of relatively staid hybrid and all-electric new models, automakers are emphasizing horsepower and design flair with what they're highlighting this year at the annual Chicago show:Continue reading...

It's sexy sex time!

Not to be outdone by all the sexing sex talk between Catholic leaders concerned with religious freedom and the Obama administration's mandate on providing birth control, brands got into the prophylactastic fun.

Are you ready for an almost-entirely NSFW post? Okay! First, there's the Louis Vuitton condom that wasn't.Continue reading...

Yes, no one's quite sure yet how the flap over Chrysler's Clint Eastwood Super Bowl spot is going to end up. But it's pretty clear what the winning and losing brands were among other automakers after viewers and consumers, as well as the pundits, got a chance to react to their ads during the Big Game, which car brands dominated. Here's how how the other auto brands fared:Continue reading...

As the world's biggest stage for marketers, we'd have to give Super Bowl XLVI, generously, a B-minus. While the game was compellingly competitive right until the last play, and Madonna acquitted herself pretty well for a 53-year-old halftime-show attraction, America's brand marketers barely held up their end of the extravaganza.

For one thing, there was no genuine stand-up-and-cheer advertising moment during NBC's telecast as there was last year, in Chrysler's spot featuring Eminem and its new Chrysler 200 "Imported from Detroit," although Clint Eastwood was a worthy successor.

In fact, stand-out moments in the ads were almost non-existent; the humor that carried most of the ads didn't come close to an outbreak of hilarity; and a few spots manifested jump-the-shark syndrome, such as an NBC promo that cameoed Betty White.Continue reading...

Just when it seemed that almost every Super Bowl ad already had been revealed or teased, brand marketers' buzz machines continue revving up. GM is promoting their Super Bowl XLVI spots on Chevy's YouTube channel — including talking insects on a Chevy Sonic and Volt-enchanted aliens, which you can watch below — with YouTube-only clips with Rainn Wilson encouraging fans to share, engage and vote for their favorite spots.Continue reading...

The NBA's 2011 rookie of the year, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, is back in two new commercials for Kia Optima ("Not your average spokesman. Not your average midsize sedan") — watch the other spot below. Griffin is giving Kobe Bryant and LeBron James a run for the money as pitchman, according to Bleacher Report.Continue reading...

Overall, Kia has taken a back seat to sibling brand Hyundai in the U.S. market, but last year it earned some Super Bowl chops with its spot featuring animatronic stuffed animals. But it's hard to tell so far what Kia will be giving Big Game viewers this year, even with the brand teasing its upcoming spot featuring a motley crew that includes Motley Crue, mixed-martial-arts champion Chuck Liddell and champion bull rider Judd Leffer.

At least Kia executives have the sense to start the teaser, above, with a glimpse of Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima.

Bridgestone has been nudging bits of its Super Bowl schtick out into public view, a combination of deadpan geek humor and breathless jock schlock.

The latest features pretend Bridgestone engineers and scientists and real-life jocks and ex-athletes including Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, fellow NBA-er Steve Nash and long-retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback and tier-one Fox Sports commentator Troy Aikman.Continue reading...

The way automotive brands have come to dominate Super Bowl advertising, you'd think individual brand messages would tend to get washed out amid the cacaphony of automotive pitches. But the reverberant success of Super Bowl ads by Chrysler and Volkswagen last year has car makers believing they might be able to hit the jackpot, even when their industry rivals can't.

Such are the hopes of executives of Hyundai and Lexus heading into each brand's appearance during Super Bowl XLVI on Fox on February 5. But while Hyundai is hoping finally to move up to what it considers the top tier of Super Bowl success, in its fourth consecutive year of Big Game participation, Lexus will be a first-time participant that's just hoping to break through.

The brands are at entirely different spots. Hyundai is riding high after a 20-percent U.S. sales gain last year and having its 2012 Elantra named North American Car of the Year last week, while Lexus is badly in need of 2012 to become a comeback year for the brand, after a disastrous 2011.Continue reading...