All Cars, All the Time

Saturn's Rethink Campaign. Was Anyone Thinking?

I have yet to be bowled over by Saturn's "Rethink" campaign and the new crop of Vue commercials have me rethinking just how lousy the whole series has been.

Now it is true that Saturn was allowed to slip to perilously low levels. Remember the Ion's leopard print roof rails? Now the brand finally has a tremendously overhauled lineup. I love the Opel influence and I positively think it's the way to go. However, the advertising is not getting the message across.

The most offensive Vue commercial is the one that states that excessive spending is going out of style. They show a gold plated toilet, bejeweled cell phone and other supposed signs of tacky decadence. Next they show a young woman driving a Vue and braking for a clueless shopper: Rethink Excess, Rethink American.

You mean to tell me that Saturn has a great new vehicle and the best they can do is pitch it as an anti-gold plated toilet bowl? C'mon people!!! Let's talk features, Euro design, great cabin quality. Let's stack it up against the competition (we'll leave out the fact that it's over weight) and let's knock 'em down. Other than a few profile shots, that's all we see of the Vue. Cut the holier than thou crap and just glorify the product. Let's not oversell excess either because the Vue is in my opinion priced on the higher side of the fence and that's okay because it is a premium Euro product. Why take a very competent, technical piece and cheapen it with some of the worst things that money can buy?

And another thing: Americans don't like to be scolded about over spending. Remember that Sun America series where they'd show a Rolex or something and say instead of this watch today you could save the money and have eight billion dollars in fifty years. Whatever. Don't ruin my high, people. I'm not poo-pooing moderation, but I don't want to feel like I have my high school finance teacher (who I hear recently bounced a check) is looking over my shoulder.

It just makes me sick. We all know that the Aura, for all its rave reviews, isn't selling as well as hoped. If things keep up this way, I don't see the Vue getting a huge boost from its ad dollars.

All of this has me worried for my pet project, the Astra. I can't wait to see how it will be marketed.