Bits n' Pieces

For those of us who don’t know our spark plugs from our elbows, a rather handy trend has emerged in recent vehicle advertising. Whereas once it was all about the flashy motor screaming through the burning fields, now manufacturers seem hell bent on showing us just what goes into our petrol guzzlers. With the speedy arrival of Publicis and Partizan’s rip-roaring ‘Race’ for Renault, we at The Reel thought it time to investigate the growing trend of car component commercials.

Remember Cog? The Honda ad that had everyone screaming ‘Genius!’ from the rooftops? Course you do, because it won loads and everyone’s been banging on about it since its auspicious debut in 2003. Featuring a series of contraptions carrying momentum from push-me to pull-you, W+K's ad earned a certain notoriety alongside the plaudits due to claims that it half-inched the idea from 1987 film Der Lauf Der Dinge -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfEkPgfA7wo. Whilst the two films are remarkably similar in their conceit, the fact that Cog consists entirely of the Accord's inner workings marks it out as an inspired piece of design boasting – look how smoothly the pieces of our car work together even outside of the sleek chassis.

Fast forward to 2008 and we have an entire orchestra made of bumpers and windscreen wipers playing us an Ode To Ford. Surfing on a wave of ‘big’ musical commercials that have entered the fray of late (Sony Walkman’s ‘Music Pieces’ and, yep, Honda’s ‘Choir’ take your bows), the piece contains all of the string, reed and brass instruments you can throw a baton at. Whilst certainly being an eye(and ear)catching spot for the brand, we can’t help but feel that Ogilvy’s ad lacks the oomph to mark it out above the rest, and perhaps sounds a little too good (not doubting its authenticity, honest!).

Finally we have the brand-spanking new part-wars spot for Renault. Again choosing to take the bits and bobs out of the shiny casing and into the viewer’s gaze, the ad pits shock-absorbers against fuel-injector in a battle to the garage. Dynamic and instantly engaging, the spot has a likeable concept – the car’s so awesome its pieces race to be in it – and features smart visual effects that leave us waiting for a big screen 3D version. Whilst lacking the innovative twist of Honda’s masterpiece, the spot proves that as far as TV advertising goes, us punters love seeing what’s in our chariots.