50 Years of Fame: Brandfame - Vauxhall

Having run its first ITV ad in 1973, Vauxhall has employed a number of
celebrities to front its TV campaigns over the years, from actors such
as Nigel Hawthorne, Tom Conti and Ed Harris to supermodels Kate Moss,
Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. While these campaigns enjoyed
varying degrees of success, perhaps because of a lack of consistency in
the advertising approach, they served to keep brand awareness high.

The marque is currently riding high with the success of the current
'Grown-up kids' campaign for the Zafira. Vauxhall says the campaign,
featuring two young boys talking about their parents in a humorous
role-reversal, has been fundamental in driving the popularity of the
Zafira, which is the bestselling MPV.

Vauxhall is no doubt hoping the success of these 'Little dads' ads will
help to boost the overall image of the marque and lift sales of all
models.

It achieved a similar feat back in 1988 with the TV campaign supporting
the launch of the new Cavalier.

Follow-up research in 1990 showed that the campaign had not only created
a strong image for the new model, but also served to strengthen the
brand as a whole. A Henley Centre study revealed that advertising
brought about 89% of the improvement in sales by contributing 98% of the
improvement in image.

Not all Vauxhall's ads have been as effective, however. A campaign
launched in 2000, starring Griff Rhys Jones as an eccentric, bearded
professor, was pulled two years later. The ads had been designed to
create likeability and memorability, but had failed to hit the mark, and
were voted worst ads of 2000 in Campaign magazine.

'The Vauxhall brand is steeped in British heritage and an understanding
of British and family motoring,' says Peter Hope, integrated marketing
manager at Vauxhall. 'ITV, at the heart of British broadcasting, has
been vital in communicating (Vauxhall's brand) values , and has been an
instrumental channel for some of our key car launches.'