The following is my mockup advertisement for London Motorworks. I created it with traditional media in mind, though it could certainly be used on social media.
Tim London’s primary purpose is to re-position his business. He wants to attract more mature individuals with more money and nicer cars. He wants them to come to him for regular maintenance and small repairs — not emergencies and bodywork. This ad is effective in several ways:
The car featured is a Mercedes. This is right in line with his desired clientele.
The ad suggests the car is currently fine. However, it will soon need a “transition.” This implies regular maintenance as opposed to catastrophic failure. This is the type of work he wants to do.
Many of the other messages are much more subtle. The car, while an older model, is still stunning. It is a car you would like to keep running if at all possible. The photo has been edited to have a grainy, yellow texture. This enhances the old and worn feel, though makes the car feel warm and welcoming.
The ad clearly has a sexual appeal. The color red is synonymous with passion. This once again enhances the emotional attachment to the vehicle. Why wouldn’t you want to help maintain something you are passionate about?
This ad is also designed to appeal to his target individual through the wording. He previously mentioned many of his ideal clients are middle-aged, white-collar working men. This ad is designed to stir feelings in this individual. Many men this age in this situation may be having concerns about their spouse. As old-age begins to creep in, they may begin to wonder whether their partner can still satisfy them. The physical and psychological changes of age may have them worried about the passion and lust they once had. This is the ever-mocked “mid-life crisis.”
For men, cars and sexual partners are related. They both involve commitment, passion, and hardships. This advertisement plays on this connection by suggesting, “the car you feel passion for can still work fine if we update it” in a manner that is symbolic of relational issues that may be coinciding, especially with his ideal client.
As far as Facebook advertising, you could run this any time of the year. It is not seasonal in any manner. However, cooler weather may cause more failures on a car. I would personally promote this advertisement around winter when one or two things may have failed on the car and people are starting to feel depressed about the lifespan of their vehicle.
The text itself could feature a promotion for a 100k special or something similar to that. However, I don’t particularly think this ad needs additional text. I believe it is pretty powerful on its own.