The Toyota Saved by Zero TV ad may be the worst of 2008. If it isn’t the worst it certainly has a chance to be the most insensitive considering the timing of the ad.Time Magazine has this to say about the Toyota Saved by Zero TV ad:
In the middle of a deep recession, when consumers are hesitant to open their wallets, companies have to pull out all the stops to get their attention. But it isn't every day that an unforgettable (or unforgivable?) marketing campaign can drive so many people to distraction, causing them to loathe a usually admired brand.
The 30-second commercial touting the program, which is saturating televised sporting events and other prime-time TV, has left viewers vitriolic. In the ad, a giant red zero moves around the screen while a sedated-sounding man hauntingly drones the line Saved by zero — financing, get it? — over and over.
It's right at that border where it's catchy enough that it gets stuck in your head, but not good enough that you like it.
It's like water torture, and people just want it to stop.
This week Sports Illustrated football scribe Peter King, author of the religiously read Monday Morning Quarterback column on si.com, wrote, “Someone please — I IMPLORE YOU — put that ‘Saved by Zero’ Toyota commercial out of its misery.”
A picture of my cave
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