Dreams Come True: Analyzing Principal's "Dream Car" TV Ad

The girl hugged her grandpa tight, the keys to her new car dangling from her closed hand. "But what about your dream car?" she says. "This is my dream now," he replies. Aww, somebody get the tissues. What is this scene from? A new movie? A fulfilling end to a TV show? No, it's the latest ad for Principal Financial Group, a growing financial investment, and insurance company based in Iowa. I've seen Principal ads before, but this "Dream Car" ad is the first one I would consider to truly be effective. So what makes this commercial so good in selling Principal to consumers. Principal's new "Dream Car" ad is effective because it uses a number of Jib Fowles's needs and common marketing techniques.

One reason for Principal's success with their "Dream Car" ad is their use of various needs from Jib Fowles's "Advertising's 15 Basic Appeals." The three main needs used in this ad are the need to nurture, need for guidance, and need to feel safe. The need to nurture can be seen with the grandfather's relationship with his granddaughter as he helps care for her after her father gets a new job far away during her senior year and eventually he sacrifices his own dreams for her. This gives consumers the message that Principal helps us provide for those we care about. The need for guidance can be seen with the girl's relationship with her grandfather and the grandfather's relationship with Principal. In both these cases, the first person goes to the second person for help with their dreams and get the help they are looking for, showing the message that Principal can help guide you in your decisions. Finally, the need to feel safe can be seen throughout the ad as the grandparents help the girl feel safe in their house and in turn, Principal helps them all feel financial safe by telling the grandfather that they can help him buy the girl a car. Ultimately, Principal uses a number of Fowles's needs throughout their "Dream Car" which makes it effective.

Another reason for the success of Principal's "Dream Car" ad is their use of common marketing techniques. Some of the main techniques featured in this ad are magic ingredients, plain folks, and diversion. Magic ingredients can be seen being used with the appearance of Principal in the ad. By making Principal the key to the grandfather getting the loan he needs for the car, Principal makes themselves out to be the magic ingredient that makes dreams come true. Plain folks is fairly obvious throughout the ad, as the family being looked at fits a fairly stereotypical view of an extended family. This creates a message that Principal is a company that provides for normal, everyday people (just like you!). Finally, diversion is seen with the emotional conclusion of this ad as it becomes clear when you go back and look at this ad that Principal doesn't really do a whole lot to make this scenario play out the way it does. When you're too busy crying over the grandfather's selflessness though, it becomes pretty hard to notice that Principal is only in a couple seconds of the ad. Thus, through the use of various common marketing techniques, Principal is able to create a successful campaign with their "Dream Car" ad.

In the end, Principal is able to create an effective and moving ad with the use of Fowles's needs and common marketing techniques in their "Dream Car" ad. They combine heartwarming moments with innate human wants to help and be helped to draw in new consumers. Will I go use Principal because they made me feel some type of way while I was sitting watching TV? Probably not, but the fact that they made me (a pretty cold person) feel anything means that they definitely got some other people who watched it and ultimately, that's my definition of advertising success. Good job Principal.