Marketing

The five-person C-level leadership team at Fox Dealer consists of four people of color and one woman. More broadly, about half of the Pasadena, Calif., dealership marketing company’s nearly 90-employee work force is made up of people of color, and 35 percent is female, said CEO GianCarlo Alabastro, who is of Filipino descent. The company

Is Kia‘s Robo Dog here to stay? The cute electronic canine has a star turn in Kia’s 13th Super Bowl spot, which features the EV6. The dog, longing for an owner, chases down the battery-electric crossover with hopes that the driver will take it home. Kia created adorable ambassadors before with its dancing hamsters. The

Dr. Evil takes over GM Dr. Evil has met his ultimate enemy: climate change. That’s the message in General Motors‘ Super Bowl commercial this year. When the antagonist of the Austin Powers movies learns that climate change has displaced him as the biggest threat to the world, he’s determined to reclaim top villain status by

For automakers, this year’s Super Bowl might as well be called the Electric Bowl.  Volvo’s EV brand Polestar on Thursday confirmed it will run an ad in the game that is already filled with spots from Kia, BMW, General Motors and Nissan—which are all pitching EVs with expensive celebrity-filled ads. There is even an electric

DETROIT — Dr. Evil has met his ultimate enemy: climate change. That’s the message in General Motors‘ Super Bowl commercial this year. When the antagonist of the Austin Powers movies learns that climate change has displaced him as the biggest threat to the world, he’s determined to reclaim top villain status by getting everyone in

There’s a message behind Eugene Levy’s flowing hair, leather jacket and bravado in Nissan’s Super Bowl spot. The actor, known for his comedic roles, morphs into an action hero when he gets behind the wheel of the redesigned Z coupe and zooms past a new Nissan entry — the electric Ariya crossover — in the

How do you get people to think about their next car in a pandemic, when showrooms are closed and motor shows are canceled? Volvo’s agency in Belgium has come up with a plan. The Brussels Motor Show 2022 was due to take place in January but was postponed for a whole year due to COVID. So

A marketing company and its owner have appealed a Federal Trade Commission ban following what the agency deemed deceptive dealership mailers and auto lending disclosure violations. FTC commissioners in October ruled 4-0 that Traffic Jam Events and its owner, David Jeansonne, had violated the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Truth in Lending Act with

An “oversharing mom” who can’t stop talking about her Carvana buying experience takes center stage in the online used-vehicle retailer’s first-ever Super Bowl ad. Carvana released the 30-second commercial on Wednesday. It will air nationally during the Feb. 13 game. It depicts a talkative mom character telling person after person she encounters — her son,

EV home charging station provider Wallbox said it plans to air its first U.S. commercial during the Super Bowl. The 15-second spot tells the story of a lightning strike survivor who has a fear of electricity. Despite this, he still uses a Wallbox charger to for his EV, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

Chatty mom hypes Carvana experience An “oversharing mom” who can’t stop talking about her Carvana buying experience takes center stage in the online used-vehicle retailer’s first-ever Super Bowl ad. Arnold Schwarzenegger is Zeus in this BMW spot No, the action star and former governor of California is not coming out with a new movie about

The next-generation Nissan Z sports car receives top billing in the brand’s Super Bowl commercial, which will be aired during the game Feb. 13. Nissan Motor Co. released two teasers of the commercial, called “Thrill Driver,” which is set up as an action-packed, comedy-thriller movie premiere. The 60-second ad features actors Eugene Levy, Danai Gurira

Instead of running a Super Bowl commercial this year, Hyundai is getting into a fictional version of the game with the help of an imaginary ad crew. The automaker’s upcoming Ioniq 5 was featured in the ABC sitcom “black-ish” this month, with star Anthony Anderson, who plays an ad executive named Andre Johnson, working on

In Acura’s new campaign, the cars it is trying to sell are nearly secondary to the anime characters it has created — almost. In its attempt to connect with younger generations, the brand has created an anime series-based ad campaign that focuses on the story of Japanese-American girl Chiaki, who is learning how to race

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House lawmakers who head key subcommittees on oversight and trade criticized Tesla’s recent expansion in Xinjiang, China. “Your misguided expansion into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region sets a poor example and further empowers the (Chinese government),” said Democrats Bill Pascrell and Earl Blumenauer in a joint letter to Tesla CEO Elon

BMW will advertise in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years. A U.S. spokesman for the German luxury auto brand confirmed the ad buy but did not share details. BMW last appeared in the game in 2015 with an ad starring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. It flashed back to 1994 when

ATLANTA — Porsche Cars North America has elevated two women to key leadership roles. Ayesha Coker has been named vice president of marketing, the sports car maker said. Coker, 45, succeeds Pedro Mota, who, according to a dealer source, has left to join a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Previously, Coker led experiential brand marketing,

Laurel Cutler, a trailblazing advertising executive who later became a vice president at Chrysler, died on Nov. 28. She was 94. Cutler was named Chrysler’s first vice president of consumer affairs in 1988. She was tasked with being a futurist who could monitor customer trends, an ability she was known for in the advertising industry,

Audi of America showed that it had more Christmas spirit than the judges on “Wheel of Fortune” who said a contestant paused too long while correctly solving a puzzle. The automaker stepped in amid a social media backlash against the game show’s decision to deny Charlene Rubush an Audi Q3 in the bonus round of

Porsche will invest more than $50 million to build a second driving track at its Atlanta Experience Center — one of two U.S. performance track centers that retailers say are helping connect consumers with the Porsche brand. The new 1.3-mile circuit, which will open in the first quarter of 2023, will be connected to the

Mercedes-Benz removed a video advertisement from a Chinese social media website, state media said, after the clip got swept up in a charged national debate over depictions of Asian-looking features by foreign companies. The video was posted on Mercedes-Benz’s official Weibo account on Saturday and later removed due to public backlash, the Communist Party’s Global

As Joni Mitchell can attest, not everyone wants jolly elves and merry reindeer in their holiday media. Some people want a good Christmas cry. For those looking for a river to skate away on, behold Chevrolet’s “Holiday Ride.” The four-minute version of the ad received 4.8 million page views on YouTube as of Thursday. The

ATLANTA — Porsche will invest more than $50 million to build a second driving track at its Atlanta Experience Center, the automaker said Monday. The 1.3-mile circuit, which will open in the first quarter of 2023, will be connected to the current 1.6-mile driver development track at Porsche’s North American headquarters campus next to Hartsfield-Jackson

A red flag went up last week as the 2022 season of auto industry trade shows prepares to take stage. Three auto shows in Canada were called off as the rapidly spreading omicron variant spawns a COVID-19 resurgence in Canada and elsewhere. The Montreal International Auto Show, scheduled for January, the Canadian International AutoShow in

Around 2016, Street Volkswagen ran a radio advertisement to drum up business for its sales and service departments. In the commercial, the dealership in Amarillo, Texas, offered to help consumers buy a vehicle they spotted elsewhere or transport a vehicle from out of town, owner John Luciano said. A few people took the store up

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co., in partnership with Salesforce, is launching a field service tool for businesses that it hopes will help differentiate its new Ford Pro commercial unit and help generate recurring revenue. The new tool, called Viizr, is meant to provide business owners with software to do everything from digitize work quotes and

Elon Musk wants it known that Apple doesn’t have the market cornered on overpriced accessories. The Tesla CEO urged his Twitter followers to buy the $50 stainless-steel Cyberwhistle shaped like the company’s upcoming Cybertruck electric pickup. He referenced the $19 Polishing Cloth that Apple released this fall. “Blow the whistle on Tesla!” Musk tweeted last

Nissan Motor Co. will advertise in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015 with an ad starring Brie Larson. The 60-second spot will plug the automaker’s forthcoming electric Ariya crossover, as well as the 2023 Nissan Z sports car, Nissan confirmed to Ad Age, an affiliate of Automotive News. Previous to the 2015

Volkswagen Group of America is using Amazon shipping boxes to put virtual butts in the virtual seats of its new Taos subcompact crossover this holiday season. It’s rewarding participants with three months of premium music streaming for virtually going along for the ride. The German automaker last week revealed its Web-based augmented reality campaign to

Volkswagen Group of America said it will use the sides of Amazon boxes this holiday season to put virtual butts in the virtual seats of its new Taos subcompact crossover, and reward participants with three months of premium music streaming for virtually going along for the ride. The German automaker revealed its new Web-based augmented