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Remember the Joe Isuzu ads from the 1980s?
In 1981 Japanese car maker Isuzu Motors entered the U.S. market.
If you asked Americans to name a Japanese car maker Isuzu wasn’t exactly top-of-mind.
If you asked Americans to name a Japanese car maker Isuzu wasn’t exactly top-of-mind.
This was a classic marketing problem. Isuzu wanted to compete with Toyota. But their ad budget was one-tenth of Toyota& #39;s ad budget.
Even so Isuzu& #39;s sales showed healthy growth. In 1981 Isuzu sold 28,000 vehicles in America, representing 0.26% market share. By 1985 their market share was 0.68%, and Isuzu sold 105,000 cars in America that year.
The auto industry is a brutal, competitive market. Isuzu knew that to survive they had to do something distinctive. To get noticed and stay top of mind.
So Isuzu hires ad agency Della Femina, Travisano & Partners.
So Isuzu hires ad agency Della Femina, Travisano & Partners.
In 1986, Joe Isuzu was born. Joe Isuzu was a fictional spokesman who starred in a series of Isuzu car and truck ads from 1986 to 1990. Played by actor David Leisure, Joe Isuzu was a sneaky, snake oil car salesperson.
Joe was a big liar who made exaggerated claims about his Isuzu& #39;s cars.
On TV commercials he said things like, "It& #39;s top speed is 300 miles per hour", "Isuzu dealers have millions in stock, so they& #39;re selling them for $9" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR361ASrMew">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
On TV commercials he said things like, "It& #39;s top speed is 300 miles per hour", "Isuzu dealers have millions in stock, so they& #39;re selling them for $9" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR361ASrMew">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
or "It can carry a symphony orchestra". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu-gOSBvTas">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
But the genius part of the ads were the subtitles. Whenever Joe lied, subtitles showed up correcting his lies with humorous copy, “He’s lying.” And also pushing Isuzu& #39;s best features.
America fell so in love with Joe Isuzu that Isuzu ads went straight to the top-ten spots in consumer recall in 1989.
Perhaps there& #39;s a lesson here for brands in 2020.
We’re all just so used to seeing brands lie and brag they& #39;re "the best" that ANYTHING a little bit more honest and tongue-in-cheek will stand out. https://creativesamba.substack.com/p/remember-the-joe-isuzu-ads-from-the">https://creativesamba.substack.com/p/remembe...
We’re all just so used to seeing brands lie and brag they& #39;re "the best" that ANYTHING a little bit more honest and tongue-in-cheek will stand out. https://creativesamba.substack.com/p/remember-the-joe-isuzu-ads-from-the">https://creativesamba.substack.com/p/remembe...
