The latest television advert for Mazda's CX-5 SUV could, therefore, have fallen very flat indeed, particularly as they didn't use real cheetahs but opted for clever CGI (computer-generated imagery) instead.
With CGI, there are, of course, no limits to what you can do - and the CX-5 shows a very cute cheetah family with adorable cubs, making the point that the CX-5 is not only athletic but family-friendly too.
![[Orchids & Onions] A digital cheetah? Spot the difference in new Mazda ad](https://biz-file.com/c/1508/304317.jpg)
(Just as an aside, I might be wrong - and feel free to correct me if that is the case - but aren't cheetah families in the wild distinguished by the absence of the father?)
The images in the CX-5 advert are good and lifelike, so the message is enhanced.
Mazda has taken an aggressive marketing approach since it severed its long relationship with Ford and has served notice that it is prepared to do what it takes to win back - and increase - its market share in South Africa.
With enticing prices and warranties, it has made a solid start.
With its latest television ads, it is heading to "top of mind" status among car buyers.
So, an Orchid for the latest CX-5 execution.
Less effective car advertising was all over the airwaves this week on Mix FM, a radio station in northern Joburg. The ad was for the Volkswagen Up!, on behalf of the Lindsay Saker Fourways group.
What grated intensely was the use of American accents in the ad.
Why, oh why, do marketers in this country think they will add some kind of cachet to their products by using an American voice? What is wrong with good old-fashioned South African accents? Are we ashamed of ourselves? That alone would put me off going to a Lindsay Saker showroom.
And here's the irony - Americans don't make cars like this. They put cars like this in the boots of their gas-guzzling SUVs. This is a European car and has quality German engineering.
We're not in Kansas, Toto...
An Onion to Lindsay Saker Fourways for that...
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