We are all familiar with how automotive manufacturers market the dream – exhilarating images of open roads, or small cars darting about a cityscape, but is this now an automotive experience that rarely exists in the real world?  The Department of Transport certainly think so, they recently reported that the average speed of Cars on UK A-roads is stable at a mere 25mph.

Nonetheless is that any reason to depart from a tried and trusted approach that has been with us since the 60’s?  Well, add into the equation that a drive to create fuel efficient cars has led to a harmonisation of design across the manufacturers.  Gone are the different shapes and sizes (do you remember there even used to be cars that only had 3 wheels) and in are the rigidly defined car classes where different manufacturers vary in size by mm.

And this harmonisation is leading to the erosion of brand loyalty.

Cap Gemini reports that in 2002 40% of consumers said they’d buy the same brand again. By 2010 75% of consumers said they were considering at least 4 brands for their next purchase.  The individuality of the brands, a hallmark of the romantic era of motoring, is being replaced by the efficiency of Kaizen manufacturing.

So is it time for manufacturers to re-evaluate how they sell the (realistic) dream and differentiate themselves at the same time?  Perhaps it’s time to make things personal.

Some have chalked it up to differences in culture, others to a complete lapse in taste and appropriateness. Whatever your take, there’s no denying that Kia Motors has this week felt the heat of a furious international social media response to a set of questionable cartoons for the Kia Sportage which went viral after being shown at the Cannes Lions awards.

Although only intended for the domestic Brazilian market, the fury elicited by the Kia Sportage virals was international, and represents an important lesson in managing brand image in a social media context.

The ads were supposed to promote the “dual-zone climate control” feature of the Kia Sportage, and even won the Silver Press Lion at the Cannes Lion Awards . The ads are in cartoon format, showing a single story from both “hot” and “cool” viewpoints. On one side, a primary school girl staying after classes for extra help, while the other side seemingly shows the teacher’s fantasy, where the girl is replaced by a busty teen in a short skirt asking to be taught “anatomy” lessons.

Oh my.

When it comes to social media marketing, Nissan North America doesn’t believe it’s all about selling more cars or signing more leases. Erich Marx, the new head of Social Media Marketing at Nissan North America tells Ad Age that the car maker is more interested in building a community of truly engaged customers that they can tap for research and for “evangelising” for the brand.

To that end, Marx says that while their goal in 2011 is to grow their online presence, Nissan has not resorted to social media marketing “gimmicks” to get fans. Said Marx, “We want to build a fan base that’s genuine and authentic, not just grow the fan base for the sake of growing the fan base — we want cars fans who are truly fans and truly engaged with us.”