Most car ads look the same: high-definition action shots of the car performing spectacular maneuvers while the driver uses its exciting new features, and a narrator lists off its many winning qualities. But not all car ads follow this format. Others are of the ‘funny car commercials’ variety. These ads push the envelope with shock value, originality or humour to make a lasting impression and stick in your mind.
Today, we’re helping you bust your pandemic boredom with these top five funny car commercials.
Our top five funny car commercials
1. Toyota Hilux cow ad, 2009
First up, this ad from Toyota for its new ‘unbreakable’ Hilux. This ad for the Toyota Hilux pictures two romance-seeking bulls who hijack the powerful ute and perform gravity-defying stunts to get it.
Breaking through fences, water tanks and sheds and eventually launching from a cliff and landing next to two cows who they’re taking on a date.
2. Ford John Farnham ad, 2012
Ford’s 2012 ad for Ford’s new ‘Sync’ feature for playing music, features Australian great, John Farnham, singing ‘You’re the Voice’.
3. Toyota Hilux ‘Bugger!’ commercial, 1999
Banned in Australia shortly after it began airing, this ad for the Toyota Hilux was a shock to viewers. The word ‘bugger’ hadn’t been heard on commercial television before, and in this ad, it’s heard about 10 times.
4. Ford Falcon banned (but funny) car commercial, 2012
This ad for the Ford Falcon Ecoboost is advertising the car’s ‘six cylinder performance on four cylinders’. It features two toads discussing the white substance on one’s back, establishing that it’s a bodily secretion which is poisonous to most animals – and possibly an aphrodisiac.
It’s gross – and a little suggestive – to begin with. But add to that the huge splatter when the approaching car runs over one of them, and you’ve got an ad too scandalous for the Australian regulators.
5. Volkswagen vans & Balls To Cancer joint ad, 2018
This UK ad for Volkswagen Vans was a joint initiative with testicular cancer charity, Balls to Cancer. The scene takes place at a VW van service centre, where the attendant is detailing the maintenance work performed to the driver upon pickup.
The idea is – you get your van checked, so why not yourself? It was never screened in Australia, and it’s pretty easy to see why!
We hope these hilarious car ads put a smile on your face. If you’re busting pandemic boredom with a road trip, take a look at our tops for preparing your car for a road trip.
