Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II Krug Champagne Van Returns Home

When you're in the business of selling premium champagnes to the rich and famous, you can't go promoting your goods in a Bedford van. With this in mind, Krug Champagne, one of the one of the crown jewels in the LVMH (Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton) wine division, ordered this bizarre Rolls Royce "bread van" for commercial purposes back in 1984.

The car was eventually sold by the company but has now returned to the House of Krug in Reims, the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, as a museum piece.

The Rolls Royce is a 1979 Silver Shadow II Sedan converted into a three-door commercial van with front seats for driver and one passenger and an open rear compartment fitted with two refrigerators. The vehicle bears the Krug crest and logos while it also gets a special cork key ring.

Via: Autoblog.it & Autoblog.nl

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Audi Releases Video and Photos of R8 Spyder from Iron Man 2

As you've probably already heard, Audi has once again teamed up with the creators of the original blockbuster Iron Man marketing its R8 Spyder in the sequel as the personal car of billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

Of course, the German firm is trying to make the best of its participation in the movie releasing a dedicated commercial as well as photos from the world premiere of Iron Man 2, which took place on Monday in Los Angeles and saw Robert Downey Jr. arriving at the El Capitan Theatre in the drop-top supercar. Hit the jump for both the video and photo gallery.

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Heartbeat of America Dead? Chevrolet Kills Contract with Campbell-Ewald After 91 Years

Yet another shake-up in the world of General Motors: Chevrolet has decided to take a new advertising direction, dropping Campbell-Ewald after 91 years. Cambell-Ewald was behind such memorable tag lines as "The Heartbeat of America", "Like a Rock", and "An American Revolution"; the Chevrolet contract accounted for 25% of its business.

According to the Detroit News, the Bowtie will now be working with Publicis Worldwide, which represents big-timers like Coca-Cola, Whirlpool, and Hewlett-Packard, and has been handling some of its budding product lines.

Jim Campbell, US Chevrolet Marketing VP, was quick to thank Campbell-Ewald for the nine decades of service. After the politics, he said that "over the coming months, [Chevrolet] will transition the business to Publicis Worldwide, which has recently been handling [the] car and crossover brands."

The news comes shortly after Chrysler announced that they will also be heading in a new advertising direction, cutting ties with BBDO Detroit (forcing the firm to fire 485 people).

Campbell-Ewald will continue to work with GM, but on a much smaller scale. Bill Ludwig, Campbell-Ewald CEO and chairman, said, "We are committed to continue as one of GM's family of agencies and look forward to even more opportunities to demonstrate the breadth and depth of our capabilities."

Is it questionable to stop using a competent mainstay like Campbell-Ewald? Absolutely. At the same time, it's a breath of fresh air, something the General needs if it's ever going to get back on top.

By Phil Alex

Via: Detnews

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Larger-than-life BMW Ad Resides over Hong Kong Audi Dealership

The BMW/Audi ad war continues, and the latest attack recently took place in Hong Kong. BMW marketing picked up some prime ad space above an Audi dealership, and it looks as if the building owner is making a double-edged killing. Floor space to Audi and wall space to BMW? Genius.

Now if only the owner could get Mercedes to shoot a commercial there, they'd have the German luxury trifecta in their pocket.

By Phil Alex

Source: Chris Junker / flickr , Via: Worldcarfans & Jalopnik

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VIDEO: New Honda CR-Z Coupe Launch Film for Europe, Middle East and Africa

Honda has released a new promotional film for its recently revealed CR-Z mild-hybrid coupe. The 90 second film was commissioned by Honda Motor Europe and will be used for press and marketing across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The film was produced by Gaucho Productions, a London-based film and digital agency. Directed by Ben Hume-Paton and produced by Kwok Yau, the clip was shot over a day and two nights in southern Spain. You can watch it after the jump.

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Human Ad Boards: Fernando Alonso's New Ride

Wearing his full suite of commercial armor, two-times Formula 1 World Champion and current driver of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Fernando Alonso, proudly presented his newest ride in Fiorano, the Maserati GranCabrio.

"Fernando Alonso was particularly impressed with the roominess offered by the GranCabrio, perfect for four adult passengers," says Maserati, which just like Ferrari, belongs to the Fiat Group.

That said, we might have been impressed by the Spanish pilot's choice if he wasn't driving for Ferrari...

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Human Ad Boards: Fernando Alonso's New Ride

Wearing his full suite of commercial armor, two-times Formula 1 World Champion and current driver of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Fernando Alonso, proudly presented his newest ride in Fiorano, the Maserati GranCabrio.

"Fernando Alonso was particularly impressed with the roominess offered by the GranCabrio, perfect for four adult passengers," says Maserati, which just like Ferrari, belongs to the Fiat Group.

That said, we might have been impressed by the Spanish pilot's choice if he wasn't driving for Ferrari...

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VIDEO: Honda Touts New Accord Crosstour in Super Bowl XLIV TV Ad

A funky animated squirrel is the protagonist of Honda's new 30-second TV spot for its 2010 Accord Crosstour that will air during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday. The ad shows an animated squirrel stowing away various things in the cargo area of the Accord Crosstour, with the car featured only for a few seconds towards the end of the spot. Watch the video after the jump.

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VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz's Jack-in-the-Box Commercial on Used Lemons

"Avoid surprises, choose a Mercedes-Benz Used 1" is the message of the German firm's new video commercial on its certified used van programme. You can check out the witty add right after the jump.

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Hyundai Moves Up in the World with Times Square Billboard

Continuing its high-profile advertising initiatives this year which included the launch of its new Genesis Coupe during the Super Bowl coverage, Hyundai has moved into Times Square in Manhattan, New York with a new outdoor campaign. The cube shaped billboard has three display faces, the front of which has LED screens showing a continuously updated stream of Hyundai video content while the two other sides get vinyl banners.

"As one of the world's largest brands, Hyundai is actively looking for ways to integrate with the world's biggest advertising venues, such as the Super Bowl, Academy Awards and World Cup," said Chris Perry, director of Marketing Communications, Hyundai Motor America. "Times Square billboards draw 1.5 million impressions daily and it is one of the most iconic locations for outdoor advertising, so it aligns perfectly with our overall brand strategy."

The first of a series of ads to be placed on the Times Square billboard features the South Korean firm's new Genesis Coupe.

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Two Better than One: Toyota Australia's New TV Ad on Hybrids Hits the Spot [With Video]

Toyota's Australian division is ramping up its advertising efforts on its hybrid synergy drive technology as the company is getting ready to introduce a total of eight new hybrid models to the market over the next four years, starting with the locally built Camry Hybrid in February 2010. To get the key message around, Toyota aired a new locally produced television commercial called "Better Together" that was created by Sydney advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi.

There are no cars in the advertisement which shows a man with another version of himself standing behind and helping him around with his daily chores - just like an electric motor assists the gasoline engine in Toyota's hybrid models.

"The key message is 'Better Together' - that two things working together can achieve more than any one thing ever could," says Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner. "It is a metaphor for Hybrid Synergy Drive technology, which continues to improve, produce more power and use less fuel with fewer emissions," he said.

The Hybrid Synergy Drive 'Better Together' commercial went to air in Australia on the evening of Sunday, 25 October.

Thanks for the tip Matty!

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Real or Fake? Gran Turismo Ad Shows 1969 Corvette Stingray and 1988 Lamborghini Countach Scraping Sides

After watching this Japanese Gran Turismo PSP commercial of a '69 Corvette Stingray and a '88 Lamborghini Countach clashing sides on the race track more than a dozen times, we still can't tell if it's a real-life or a computer simulated scene. But then again, that's exactly what makes this commercial so successful in our opinion; for one, you'll want to watch it again and again but most importantly, it gets the message across that the video game blurs the lines of reality and fantasy. Check out the commercial in the video after the jump.

Via: Jalopnik

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VIDEO: Spada Codatronca Prom Film Hints at Batmobile by.... Denying it

A little confused by our title? Well, don't blame us. Blame the advertising agency Kobayashi that came up with the idea of producing this animated promotional film for the Corvette-powered Spada Codatronca, a limited edition supercar created by former chief designer at Zagato and BMW, Ercole Spada. While the film is clearly inspired by the Batman comics, at the same time, it is noted that the city we're looking at isn't Gotham and the vehicle's isn't the Batmobile.

And the point is, we hear you ask? Well, apparently to show that the Spada Codatronca is something like the real-life Batmobile, or at least that's what we assume by looking at the film. If you want our opinion, unless the Codatronca's target audience are adolescent comic book readers, Kobayashi is barking down the wrong tree.

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