Suzuki’s new advert for its electric e Vitara model has outperformed 97% of car commercials, achieving a 4.2 Star Rating with creative effectiveness platform System1 through a fresh approach to car storytelling.
The advert, which shows the story of a man distracted from his everyday life by his fascination with Suzuki’s new electric vehicle, cleverly draws on humour and storytelling to evoke strong emotions in its audience. The creative departs from the typical car advert format, which usually involves a vehicle shown driving against a cinematic backdrop, to incorporate a more human narrative.
Other car adverts have also scored highly on System1 by tapping into humour and storytelling. In 2022, Volkswagen scored an exceptional 5.1 Star Rating for its advert featuring horses laughing at a man’s failed attempts to reverse his trailer. In the same year, Vauxhall achieved 4.4 Stars with its ‘Little Dads’ creative, showing two young children discussing their family cars in amusingly adult language.
System1’s Star Rating is calculated by measuring emotional response to an advert, with positive emotions a key factor in driving long-term brand growth and emotional intensity impacting short-term sales potential. Only 3% of car creatives achieve greater than 4 Stars on System1’s 5-Star scale. This is due to the fact that many car ads record high levels of neutrality, a lack of any emotion, which is the most common response to advertising.
Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer at System1, said: “Car adverts tend to fall back on the same formula again and again: a drive through beautiful or exotic scenery, with focus placed solely on the vehicle’s features. Following category cliches often leads to a ‘Dull’ creative that fails to connect with audiences. Neutrality won’t drive consumers to form memory structures that can later be recalled when it’s time to purchase a new car. Automakers need to entertain to achieve commercial gain.
“Suzuki scores well by placing people right at the centre of its creative. The product takes second place to the humorous, heartwarming story of a man and his comically exaggerated longing for a new car. This helps capture audience attention, reduces Neutrality levels, and endears people to both the product and the brand.”
