| Hearing Voices? | Toronto Star Wheels - 06/21/08 | |
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Are you hearing voices?
Are you driving yourself nuts trying to figure out whose voice that is in the Mercedes television commercial (Richard "John-Boy Walton" Thomas), or the ad for Volkswagen (John Cusack), Hyundai (Jeff Bridges and Kelsey Grammer), Honda (Kevin Spacey), or Pontiac (Matt Dillon)? Pick a car commercial and it's likely the disembodied voice spouting that sales pitch belongs to a celebrity, though it might take you a while to figure out exactly who it is, if in fact you notice at all. Distracted by the face-gnawing badger in that goofy Toyota Corolla commercial you might not twig to the fact that the voice urging you to "Live the dream for less coin" is that of John O'Hurley, a.k.a. Seinfeld's J. Peterman. Surely though, being such a huge Boston Legal fan, you'd instantly recognized the voice-overs done by James Spader and immediate dash out to buy an Acura. Admittedly there's some entertainment value (or annoyance factor) in trying to identify the actor doing the voice-over, but there's little evidence that sales figures skyrocket when stars speak off-camera. Would you honestly buy a Volvo simply because Donald Sutherland urged you to? Conversely, would you boycott Ford because repeated drunk-driver Kiefer Sutherland's distinctive voice continues to hawk their wares? Which, if any, will affect Mazda sales: Rob Lowe's on-screen presidential candidacy or his recent nanny woes? In a world where folks sometimes confuse roles and reality, does the fact that CSI: New York's Gary Sinise has narrated Cadillac commercials make the brand any more trustworthy? Will you listen more intently to the sales pitch simply because fellow Canuck Will Arnett signed a lucrative GMC endorsement deal? Believing that people truly do pay more attention when famous voices talk, a few years back some of England's talking parking meters (used to remind car owners about autombile security and safety) were switched from the usual ‘boring" messages to ones voiced by celebrity impersonations. Having a faux Michael Caine carp at you to secure your vehicle is one thing, but are we so star-struck that celebrity power can actually persuade us to buy a Buick? Most consumers would likely say they don't care which celeb is hawking what car. Come on, not even when it's the sultry Ms. Kate Walsh? McSteamy's ex-wife got tongues wagging recently after slipping behind the wheel of a red hot Cadillac CTS and slurring her way through some dialogue, coyly asking the "real question": "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?" Interestingly, the male version of that CTS commercial, with Kiwi actor Martin Henerderson spouting something about "Be the Hammer", didn't seem to garner quite as much attention. Obviously in the drive to make an ad, -and hopefully the product, memorable, the choice of celebrity is always a bit of a gamble. Advertisers hope that adoring fans outweigh detractors and stars don't outshine the product (Celine Dion's reported $14 million dollar endorsement deal apparently proved better for record sales than for Chrysler.) Then again, without the Hollywood types, what's left? Yet another ad with a professional driver zoom zoom zooming around a closed course? Or perhaps you'd prefer a flashdancing Kia salesman? Better yet, how about a bunch of jiggly half-naked Subaru-scrubbing sumo wrestlers? Then again, those sudsy mawashi-wearing gents have quickly become stars in their own right, (www.sexysubaru.ca) attracting worldwide attention and even boosting car sales. All, -it should be noted, without the aid of a celebrity voice over. |
