If Women Were to Develop Car Commercials…

If there is one thing I have heard the most from women, the automotive industry doesn’t get them (especially in car sales).

I was reminded recently when a woman told me that she just wished car ads would talk about how it was easy to get in and out of the car!

And, since I suspect there will be several car ads featured during the Super Bowl this weekend, it got me thinking just how much of a mismatch the advertising is to what women are really looking for.

Let’s compare!

A typical car ad…

• Features a vehicle swerving around sharp corners.

• Emphasizes the speed, drivability, and toughness the car has in challenging terrain.

• Always mentions the APR.

Now, I’m sure they have done a lot of testing to confirm that this prescription for advertising works. However, I have to wonder if they’ve penetrated whether this is effective with women.

Based on my conversations with women, here is what they’d like to know about a car:

What women want from a car ad…

• Reassurance the vehicle is going to help keep their kids separated and entertained enough to avoid fighting with one another in the backseat.

• Space for their purse+workbag+backpacks+groceries+coffee.

• Easy clean-up from a spilled Starbucks coffee or kid’s apple juice.

• Easy to get in and out of (especially in a skirt and heels!)

• Simple tech setup that syncs with her life’s compass—her phone.

• Has delightful design details that bring joy during the most dreaded driving occasions (like taxi-ing her family to and from activities three times a day, running to the grocery store to get a missing ingredient for tonight’s dinner, or racing to meet a client).

I’ve seen glimpses of greatness with automotive advertising—Toyota Sienna’s “Swagger Wagon” ad is one of my all-time favorites because it taps into real insights for women (as well as Dads).

If your automotive company could use help making a giant leap forward in portraying what women want from a car, let’s talk!

Comment below to share what you’d like to see from automotive advertising to better appeal to you.