John's Blog

The big question that I want to ask Dr. Z is "do you really think this series of commercials is working for you?" Hey, on paper it's a great idea. Have a charismatic spokesperson deliver a message that we are selling a product that's a result of American engineering and German technology, and mix in a healthy dose of humor. How could this go wrong?

Well, let's start out with the cardboard like stiffness and lack of warmth that the good doctor brings to the table. Maybe somebody finds this endearing or funny, but it doesn't work for me. And the humor is pretty strained, making me nostalgic for what I thought at the time was a pretty lame series of commercials featuring Snoop Dog and Lee Iacocca. In retrospect, those were masterpieces.

And I've got to think that the whole "German connection" is a bad idea as well. In the red states, you're just reminding some redneck that he's buying a car from a company that isn't an American concern. And in the blue states, you risk reminding people that the legendary Mercedes quality hasn't been up to par recently. Seems like a real "lose/lose" situation.

But thank goodness in the one commercial when he drives the vehicle head-on into the wall, they superimpose the warning dramatization; do not attempt on the screen. Yea, like I had planned to try that.