The Simpsons to Drive a French Car
Monday, February 4th, 2008
When you have a television show that’s been around for close to two decades, weird marketing can occur. Strange products get invented and then advertised. There’s been a Homer Simpson donut maker, for example – for all intensive purposes, that contraption was just a yellow waffle iron with Homer’s face slapped on it. Some products make sense, whether it’s a video game sold for consoles or cell phones. And other times, it just leaves one scratching their head.
This time around, The Simpsons have been licensed out to Kangoo. Yes, Homer, Bart, Marge, Maggie, and Lisa are set to shill for a French auto maker, Renault. According to New Car Net in the United Kingdom:
The thinking behind the advertising is fairly self-explanatory: Renault is pushing the Kangoo as the ultimate family mover.
Consequently Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and grandfather Abraham Simpson leave Springfield and appear in the “real” world.
They put the new Kangoo through its paces, testing the vehicle’s main qualities to the hilt.
The international Simpsons/Renault Kangoo advertising campaign will be aired in 29 countries, starting in France on February 9th.
One has to wonder what these commercials are going to look like. It’s not very likely that Americans will see them, though. America, typically, isn’t a strong market for French cars. Perhaps they will be seen in England and Ireland, but the better bet is on continental Europe, which is where one normal sees Renaults. So, I guess one can at least expect some of the ads to be in French. As for the other countries, at this writing, who knows?
In a way, it would also be interesting to see what sort of advertising clout The Simpsons would have over there. That is – will the ads be effective. According to jalopnik.com, the ads will be premised on The Simpsons heading out to see the “real world.” That is, the ads will not be fully animated, as they will combine the cartoon characters with live action photography.
