• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, December 31, 2022

photo by Tanya Gazdik/MediaPost

An automotive story posted just this week about Mercedes-Benz’s plans for the Peach Bowl soared to the top of most-read automotive stories in 2022, followed closely by a story about Ford Motor Co.

Mercedes-Benz Plans Mixed Reality Activation details how the automaker joined with Disney Advertising and others to create the activation, which will feature four of the brand’s electric vehicles “racing” around Mercedes-Benz Stadium during a college football bowl game.

This collaboration marks the first time that mixed reality technology has been used on a live broadcast during a college football game, according to the automaker. 

In a story from earlier in the year, Ford CEO Jim Farley, long known for his take-no-prisoners attitude, has a few choice words about the future of advertising and his lack of enthusiasm for Super Bowl advertising. 

In Ford CEO Disses Advertising, Super Bowl Spots, Farley explains how he looks to Tesla -- which does no consumer advertising -- as an example of how automakers can make more money on electric vehicles vs. gas-powered models. 

New automotive brands don’t come along every day. Or in the case of Toyota Brings Crown Nameplate Back To U.S., they don’t come back every day. The third most-read automotive story of 2022 details how the Crown disappeared from the U.S. in the 1970s, but has continued to be sold overseas.

The 2023 model hits dealership in first quarter 2023 and the target buyer is older millennials and Gen X who are “very bold and independent thinkers and do-ers,” Lisa Materazzo, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing at Toyota Motor North America, tells Marketing Daily. 

The fourth most-read automotive story was about another fairly new brand. In Polestar Expands On Super Bowl Bombshell, the automaker's CMO gives the back story on Polestar's long-term goals outlined in the Big Game spot. 

Personnel stories are always popular, and in the case of the fifth most-read automotive story,  VW Loses Top Marketing Executive, it was noteworthy that longtime automotive marketer Kimberley Gardiner opted to leave the industry to take a position at a non-automotive company. Gardiner later surfaced at the growing retailer, Tractor Supply Co. 

Porsche Appoints Its First Female, African American Marketing VP, another personnel story, logged in as the ninth-most read automotive story in 2022. Ayesha Coker had been at the automaker for more than 11 years, most recently as director of experiential marketing.

The sixth and seventh most-read automotive stories focused on innovative and highly creative campaigns. In Hyundai Brings Back Jason Bateman In 'Super Bowl-Worthy' Campaign, Hyundai CMO Angela Zepeda tells Marketing Daily why Bateman is such a good fit tor the brand.

Meanwhile, Lexus Targets Younger, Diverse 'Creative Visionaries' For Crossover, focuses on how the automaker plans to expand its customer base. “The NX is going to set the stage for the next chapter of the Lexus brand,” says Vinay Shahani, vice president of Lexus marketing. “We are counting on it, frankly, to bring in a younger buyer. These younger buyers are approaching luxury in a new way.” 

The eighth most-read automotive story, Automakers' National TV Spending Drops 41%, features data from iSpot.tv showing how, with a massive uptick in TV spend in 2021 after being curtailed by the pandemic, automotive spending was settling back to normal levels. 

Finally, the tenth most-read automotive story, GM's OnStar Intro's New Logo, Brand Identity, details how the General Motors’ brand is making a name for itself apart from the automaker.  

Owners of any vehicle can now download OnStar Guardian and sign up for the service through the Apple App Store and Google Play. For those without a GM vehicle, a standalone subscription is available to anyone in the U.S. and Canada. 

The phrase “stay safe,” which gained massive popularity during the pandemic, morphs into “Be Safe Out There” in the new OnStar initiative, which will likely have some longevity and continue to be a fitting way to sign off.