GM's 'May The Best Car Win' campaign - Toyota Camry vs. Chevrolet Malibu

Honda’s top advertising executive says that the nastiness that has come out of political advertising is threatening to infect the world of car advertising.

“It doesn’t build brands. It tears down others,” Steven Center, American Honda Motor Co.’s vice president of advertising and public relations, said at an Automotive News Marketing Seminar. “Anyone can beat anyone with the careful deployment of statistics of their own choosing.”

Center said that by taking a shot at the rivals, the automakers can no longer focus on the product and brand when advertising. He said that it has become a race to the bottom in terms of “concocted messages … and excruciatingly parsed data.”

“We need to protect the credibility of our voice with customers, or else we’re wasting a few billion dollars a year,” Center said. “We can do better than this.”

Center said that Honda has taken the high road when it comes to “trash talk” and respects the intelligence of its consumers.

To be honest, we kind of enjoy those ads, especially the BMW vs. Audi ones.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)