Pfft
I’ve been watching the new television season – more about that later – and in addition to watching shows I’ve been watching commercials.

Two new car commercials have caught my attention for their very meta approach to advertising.

First – the new VW ads feature two different sets of people talking about commercials before getting into a car accident. One pair of women is discussing the VW commercials themselves (super meta) and whether or not they are appropriate and exploitative. The other is a group of three men clearly discussing an erectile dysfunction ad they just heard on the radio they joke about that odd four hour side effect before their car is struck.

So what are we to think about this? I suppose it is cute – it’s a way to bring pop culture and relevance into your commercial. Some of these conversations are about topics I’ve discussed or read about elsewhere. Still, I find it a little too slick. Although, I suspect that the ad makers don’t expect you to spend too much time listening to what the people are discussing. The crash is the money shot and we should be waiting for it.

The other ad is for a new Nissan compact car – it apes drug advertisements showing a disease (something like cramped car syndrome) and men suffering by being stuffed into tiny cars. The commercial ends with a man spinning joyously in a field near his new Nissan while clutching a puppy.

I’m not sure what this all means – I suppose it’s a move away from the Head On. But is it a move in the right direction? Probably. Or not. I mean, I barely watch commercials anymore and even when I watch them I barely process them. My husband watched the VW ad at least four or five times before I mentioned to him the meta nature of the commercial – he hadn’t processed that part. He was just aware of the crash. Which is probably all VW wants you to think about.