Sincere? Or just another ploy to sell me something?

Assurance

That was then. Every commercial I see now seems to have some variation of “we understand about the economy so spend your money with us.”  For me, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when I saw Saturn’s recession ad dissing Hyundai’s recession ad. Basically, “No, they got it wrong, WE have the better deal because WE understand the economic times better.” Please.

As marketers we strive to truly understand our target and appeal to their pain points. However, it can sometimes come across as over-kill, insincere–or even desperate.  For me, this is the case with the auto industry’s latest marketing efforts.