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What do Ron Burgundy and Jalopnik have in common?

ryan.leslie

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It sounds like the setup to a good joke... the punchline, however, is a punch to the gut!

Remember this creative series of ads featuring Will Farrell as Ron Burgundy supporting the release of the Durango? There are a ton of these, but this one is one of my favorites:



Fast forward five+ years to today and Jalopnik is running an article that effectively offers the same commentary.

https://jalopnik.com/whoever-created-the-dealer-ads-for-these-kia-stingers-m-1827476178

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"Seat Back Pockets! No way...I don’t know about you, but that is always on the top of my list of must-have features."

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"Holy crap, you are telling me I can put stuff, inside the doors? What kind of futuristic wonder machine is this?"

and my favorite:

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"Frankly, I don’t know if I can believe that a car in 2018 has power locks, windows, AND mirrors."

Merchandising matters in a competitive market!

I'm no expert, but it seems like these are good questions to ask regarding online merchandising:

What does the customer really care about? What makes this car unique? How can I tell a story that differentiates this unit from all of the others in the consideration set? Does this comment add value or just add noise? Is there a process in place to walk the digital lot daily? What tools and resources can I tap into to make my merchandising more memorable?

What do you think?

*disclaimer: I don't know if the text above is supplied by the dealer or a vendor, and obviously Jalopnik's slant is satirical. I'm not sharing this to pick on anyone , but I do think the feedback is instructive. My opinion is that the practice of captioning certain images is great, but the captions should always add value.
 
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✨ AI Highlights

# Summary Ryan Leslie compares poorly conceived dealer advertising to a Ron Burgundy joke, highlighting how some Kia dealerships are marketing trivial features like seat back pockets as major selling points—a practice that automotive journalists at Jalopnik have also mocked. The thread devolves into lighthearted banter about what features actually matter in Kias, with participants joking that basic amenities like scuff-resistant seat backs are being oversold as premium features. The broader insight is that some dealers are damaging their credibility by highlighting mundane specifications in their vehicle merchandising rather than genuine differentiators.

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