Closed Course, Professional Driver, Do Not Attempt

We all see these notes, well, that is if we look hard enough and didn't Tivo through the commercials in the first place. The legal fine print of the auto industry is attached to every jaunt through the deserted downtown, high-speed drift across the Bonneville salt flats, and ridiculous truck show of strength challenge conducted on the very edge of some steep canyon.

To tell you the truth, I am not sure which is more alarming, the litigous state our society has become or the fact that there is a segment out there that actually needs the reminder that it probably isn't a good idea to race their friends through public parking garages like they were living out the next installment of Fast and the Furious.

While a few companies and their agencies may still try to deliver the message in the context of the much less glamorous "real-world" driving conditions, it seems like the majority would rather stick to the jaunt through the pristine forest, (rugged Hunting/Fishing scenario) or the even more popular race around some racetrack because we need those capabilities so often.

I am sure that any of one of the ad execs in charge of any of these campaigns will tell you that it isn't about selling a car as much as it is about selling a lifestyle. By making it look like you get the best parking lot in front of the restaurant or concert, spend everyday towing the boat to the lake with the family or get all the ladies by driving XYZ, they really appeal to the imagination more than anything else.

But I guess that is marketing 101.

Occasionally you might find a car going over a pothole, driving by a construction site or minivan dumping the entire team off at the field (why do the kids always play soccer?) but those "realistic" scenes are pretty limited. Relevance has never been a very effective seller, being able to pass Europe's fastest on the Nurbuergring in your SUV is.

Is it possible to spin sitting in traffic, gasing up, or getting banged around in the Target parking lot appealing to the masses? Probably not anytime soon, but "reality" has taken over the rest of the tv guide, maybe its only a matter of time before we see it in our commercials. Again, if you even watch them that is.