When you want to sell a car sometimes you need just the right person to present the product to the consumer. This has brought us instant classics and some commercials that take time to recognize their genius. Let’s take a look at the greatest automotive presenters that pitched us some of the best and worst cars.
Cal Worthington
If you lived within 100 miles of a Cal Worthington dealership then his songs and his dog spot are forever part of your life. His campiness, antics and mush mouthed jingle are legend.
Did he say “pussy cow?”
David Leisure
When Japanese car companies wanted to get Americans to buy foreign cars they sometimes hired pitchmen to make the cars more approachable. Joe Isuzu could be be described as aggressively ridiculous. David Leisure is mostly known for starring in Empty Nest and being in some bit parts and soap operas. As Joe Isuzu he gained a character that will follow him forever.
Jonathan Pryce
When you’re a Japanese car company introducing a luxury line you want to steer as far away from Joe Isuzu as possible. Here enters Nissan’s upscale Infiniti brand’s use of Jonathan Pryce (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, CBE) more recently Game of Thrones’ High Sparrow. He’s British which to American’s makes him sound smarter and more refined. He told us all about how Infiniti cars were very advanced, had foam filled A-pillars for safety and rigidity and were very safe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6DJZc526Qo
These ads were so popular SNL spoofed them.
Ricardo Montalbán
Two words, “Corinthian leather.” Go ahead say it with your best Ricardo Montalbán voice. The ads were pitching what ended up being entirely forgettable cars, the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. But when Ricardo Montalbán says the words they become magic. The words themselves are instantly recognizable while the cars faded into obscurity.
It’s right up there with some of his other classics like, “From Hell’s heart I stab at thee…”
Dinah Shore
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show was immensely popular. This was during the age when brands would have the host stop to pitch the product mid show. Dinah Shore’s song for the pitch, “See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet” was an instantly catchy jingle and a call to action in an age of interstates road build outs. Go ahead, list and try not to want to get out on the open road.
Plenty of people did get out on the open road in a Chevrolet. These great American family road trips inspired some greatness like Vacation as well.
Lee Iacocca
When you want to reassure the consumer that they can trust your brand and just ignore those upstart Japanese car companies you have to go to the top. Lee Iacocca was an auto industry icon, a respected business leader and best selling author. When Lee Iacocca talked people listened, though they didn’t always buy the cars.
Your grandmother probably read his book, I know mine did. She would not be caught driving around in anything other than a Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
Jack “Winnebago Man” Rebney
Jack Rebney is an outlier here, he was trying to pitch Winnebago motor homes but it wasn’t his ads that caught fire, it was the outtakes. His expletive laden outtakes ended up making their way around on VHS tapes shared among friends. They became such a cult hit that there was a documentary made about him.
