AWESOME or AWFUL? Do Advertisements That Talk Smack Actually Work?

I find trash-talking ads (and campaigns) to be a massive turn-off.

That aside, Hyundai continues to impress me in terms of bang for the buck. I'd check out a Hyundai EV SUV, just out of curiosity. And this comes from a guy whose previous 4 vehicles were BMWs, and is currently driving an Audi Q5.

But that doesn't apply to people in your case because you trash talk them. #hypocrite

@MD you are listening to your inside voice again. Not for outside purposes. Don't be a hypocrite yourself. Head toward the light. Lent isn't over quite yet. There is still time.

Except that I'm far from a hypocrite. I have no problem with trash talking ads. TheSteve trash talks people all the time an suddenly he's against trash talking in commercials. THAT is hypocrisy. I have no issue with trash talking. I'm a big boy and don't do faux moral indignation.

^^^
@MDarringer: Here’s a lesson for you. I know you don’t like reading, but please do try to keep up.

1) Nazis are evil, nasty, hateful people. They are so despised, that American GIs laid down their lives to fight against them in World War II. Pretty much the whole world agrees. Well, except for the Nazis, of course. They just think they’re Right.

2) Pointing to a Nazi, and saying, “You’re a Nazi! You’re an evil, nasty, hateful person”, is merely stating facts. It is not hateful.

3) The Nazi might spin this as “intolerance” or “hate,” but any person capable of reason knows: *Opposing* hate, and *identifying* hate, is not the same thing as *being* hateful.

You, Matt Darringer, show your true colors constantly in AutoSpies forums. You are an angry, hateful, bitter person, who regularly takes shots at virtually anyone who doesn’t agree with you. [Refer to Points #1 and #2]

You, Matt Darringer, project your own characteristics upon others, such as attacking those people, like me, who shine a spotlight on you and call you out for what you are. [Refer to Point #3]

By the way, you are not an isolated case. There are a handful of other Alt.Right-ers here on AutoSpies, who hold similar views as yours. They attack others to varying degrees.


[Click the down-arrow is you feel like I’m talking about you, and it pisses you off to all get-out!]

Another incoherent essay from TheSteve because his feeling-weelings were are hurty-wurty. #triggered #idiot

@MDarringer wrote “Another incoherent essay…”

I’m sorry, Matt. I forgot about your “presidential” reading level. I’ve written the following version so you and your friends make sense of it. I hope the word count doesn’t scare you off.


This is Adolf.
Adolf is a Nazi.
Nazis are bad!
Bad! Bad! Bad!
They are mean, and nasty and cruel.
Nazis like to hurt people.
Nazis hate everyone.
Everyone, except for other Nazis.
The whole world knows Nazis are bad.
But Nazis think they’re right!
Nazis are bad!
Don’t be a Nazi.
Don’t be like Adolf!

This is Ike.
Ike is a soldier.
He stands up for America, and for America’s people.
Ike doesn’t like Nazis.
No sir! Not one bit.
Ike knows Nazis are bad.
Ike went all the way to Europe (a bunch of countries, far away), to fight the bad Nazis.
Ike and his friends won!
Ike is a winner.
People like Ike.
People like Ike so much, he became a president, and I mean a president like the other good presidents that we respect and admire.
Ike is good.
Be like Ike!

For me, no, they're not effective. That's primarily because I do my own extensive comparisons when it comes to car shopping. For the suburban family trying to figure out what they want to buy, it might have an impact in the decision, but I would hope that people investing that much money would make better choices.

Regarding Hyundai here, they need not inset themselves in a direct conversation with Tesla. Granted, this might be the first first for Hyundai when it comes to, well, anything so somewhat of bragging rights. But at the same time, Elon and company were the first electric almost everything else. If Hyundai wanted a more effective trash-talking add, they should have said something like, "First electric compact SUV. What do you got, Honda or Toyota?"

The efficacy of this type of advertising can best be determined through market research. I think given the storm of negativity and trash talking coming from the media these days, people have been acclimated to it to the point that it feels normal.

Ford and Chevy used to trash talk each other in ads all the time. I have a collection of paper automobilia (sic) and the ads are sometimes pointed.

Regarding Hyundai here, striking up a direct conversation with Tesla over engineering will benefit Hyundai that has tremendous experience designing and producing reliable, high quality vehicles, a claim that Tesla in no way can match.

"What do you got"??????

When you know your product is inferior in one way or another, and you result to trash talking and misleading claims to overcome it, I find it distasteful. Outside of the auto industry, I think T-Mobile is one of the worst one’s out there to do this.

@jeff- Agree with your thoughts for the most part however when a company is a disrupter such as T-Mobile it can be a good thing. What T-Mobile has done over the last few years has benefitted 300 million consumers.

The uncarrier position is nothing more than smoke and mirrors for their poor network performance and coverage. They have always been a lower cost carrier. Not sure what is disrupting about that. Just their business model.

It depends completely on the status of the target of the "Trash Talking" and how much credibility they have.

If one company is trash talking in adverts to an "Emperor has no clothes" company, then the trash talking is likely fine and may even be very effective.

Tesla has set themselves up with their silly statements over the past few years (i.e the Model 3 can be driven away for $35,000; we will produce X00,000 Tesla's in the next two years, our products are of the highest quality and are the safest, etc.) so that they lack credibility (except from Fan Boys/Girls perhaps) that they are a very easy target.

Although there is a slogan in advertising that all publicity is good publicity.

If Hyundai was attacking Honda or Mercedes, that would be silly...Hyundai attacking Tesla - not silly at all.

If you talk to the average person who owns a car but isn't a member of this site and ask them "Who makes electric cars" Tesla will be on the list thanks to Elon's great PR machine. If they see this ad they suddenly realize Hyundai makes one too. Didn't know that. This is a tongue in cheek "awareness" ad. Not a challenge to Tesla.

Very observant! Love this comment!

Competition is a good thing. Usually not a fan of negative ads (especially political ads), in this case I wouldn't even call it trash talk. This is really moderate and non-offensive, just stating a fact and a challenge.

So when you say: "especially political ads" are you venomous with rage at the Left's attacks of the Right as well as the Right's of the Left, or do you agree with the Left so they get a pass?

Whenever I hear an attack ad on either side I have less respect for the source of the attack, especially if the facts are questionable.