BYD Seagull is... a Lamborghini-mini

Well, remember those cute ads - such as "Picks up five times more women than a Lamborghini" for the 1996 Daihatsu Hijet MPV. Well of course, those were done in jest. Actually that whole school of ads is no longer used - actually too many automakers dabbled in it including the classic "faster than a Ferrari - as many wheels as a Rolls Royce - more room than a Porsche" (discover the Citroen 2CV ads here).

But again, all this was done with a joking tone.

Which is why the BYD ad (here) is - at best, alarming, at worst a brand-use infringement. First read the text: "Designed by former Lamborghini designer Wolfgang Egger, the BYD Seagull has the sharp, edgy exterior of the Lambo, the spacious and comfortable interior of a sedan, along with all the perks of an EV; clean, green and serene." And then... the tag? #lamborghinimini much like the headline.

Well, I truly do find this very disturbing, because the difference between this ad and the ones stated earlier (there are many others mind you) is the tone of voice: the BYD ad takes itself seriously. Because even if the car was indeed designed by the former Lamborghini designer this does not allow the company to use another brand's name as if it was its own. Just to be clear Lamborghini is not owned by BYD but rather by Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. So legally this is truly baffling.

My research on the net has shown that the ad seems to be Lebanese - BYD does not in any of its press releases or anywhere on its website actually compare the car to the Lamborghini. But I guess in Lebanon anything goes.

Citroen Oli - BETC goes retro to go to the future

Well, believe it or not, all our notions of "futurism" go back to the same points - early comics and Andre Courreges designs. Citroen, fresh from revamping its logo - which ironically means it went back to its original logo of 1919 (to understand why, please go here) - is now onto launching its Oli car. BETC agency aces it, simply because they found the exact correct tone of voice to market this odd car (do note, Smart car paved the way way back then - and one of their ads made it to my top 10 best ads ever here).

Citroen has had incredible hits on its roasters (think the traction avant, the majestic DS, the SM - back when - gasp - Citroen actually owned Maserati, and the list goes on), but when you say Citroen you always go back to "a fun car, accessible and made to last", meaning? The ubiquitous 2CV.

Which is exactly what BETC riffed at when it poked the 2CV from behind the Oli to say "doesn't this remind you of anything?"

Many, as in many brands tried to cash on their past credentials, but this one is among the best - even if, let's face it, design wise Oli is not the child of the 2CV.

My Ami Buggy by Citroen comes out swinging with Buzzman Agency

My Ami Buggy by Citroen comes out swinging thanks to Buzzman Agency with some exceptional copy which, wait for it, capitalizes on its "shortcomings" rather than hides them. "Your first ascent on a donkey's back", "even out of spite they can't key scratch your doors", "and if we tell you it has the autonomy of a Paris-Dakar, you'd never believe it" (that's for the sports newspaper L'Equipe), and "finally, our designer took the door" (in French "taking the door" means getting fired, obviously in the context it means differently). A beautiful campaign indeed with cheeky copy.

Citroen and the illogical Amr Diab ad (UPDATE)

OK here's a scenario: A woman is crossing the street, a car is about to run her down but stops short of doing so, the girl angrily looks at the driver, the driver takes out his mobile and shoots a photo of the girl, the tagline says "snap every beautiful moment".

Is this an ad for:

1) Road Safety?

2) A mobile brand

Actually, this is an ad for:

3) Citroen.

So either this ad:

1) Makes no sense whatsoever

2) Actually makes sense in some parallel universe

3) Is too smart for me to understand.

Oh, and there's famous Egyptian singer Amr Diab behind the wheel. See the ad here.

Update: Citroen has pulled the ad from all its channels, as the ad raised fears of women being harrassed (which statistics have shown a large majority admit to have been in Egypt) and issued an apology. The idea that women can be photographed without their consent (never mind being run over!) apparently did not come to anyone's mind from the Citroen/Ad agency team!