What was the ad agency thinking, not to mention GM executives who signed off on this?
Watching old car commercials is a great hobby, especially when you’re checking out ads from the 1960s. It was a different time then, one where advertisers would get really creative, sometimes doing absolutely bizarre but mostly wholesome things to entice consumers. Then there’s this commercial for the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pace Car.
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First of all, there’s some like pseudo-dominatrix woman posing in different positions about the Camaro SS Pace Car as the ad progresses. It’s almost like a fever dream and one of those really bizarre perfume commercials had a love child. If that were this whole advertisement we would be weirded out, but it gets even worse.
Someone thought it would be a good idea to have a narrator ask different “race car drivers” why they like the ’69 Camaro SS so much. Each one of these guys is a cheesy stereotype, like the American who talks with a southern accent and chomps on a hot dog. Why aren’t there piles of Cheese Whiz on the thing?
There’s a British guy who snobbishly talks about how the car’s wide stance handles in the curves, which is then offset by the model woman’s, well… curves. Plenty of moms were probably shooing their kids away from the TV right then and there.
A French driver just rants from the stands about the Camaro being really responsive, which honestly isn’t all that bad. But then there’s the Italian racer. He’s surrounded by adoring women who just can’t keep their hands off him. He goes on about how “bella” or beautiful and elegant the Camaro is, like that has something to do with performance. Yeah, we know it’s a silly commercial but wow, just wow.
Finally, the lady you’ve been seeing lounge on and around the car speaks up, saying something about how the “header” is what people really like about the Camaro. And she hugs the steering wheel. If mom hadn’t shooed the kids out of the room or turned off the TV, she’s full-on blushing at this point. A commercial like this could never air today for many reasons.
Check it out for yourself.
