[Lando]

Scion is pulling out the big guns to promote and advertise the Scion iA and iM. If Lincoln's success with Matthew McConaughey is any indication of the potential effect of celebrity endorsement, Scion could be on the right track by hiring James Franco to endorse the its new products.

Franco's Scion iA and iM commercial plays on two sides of his public persona. One side is his image as a talented Oscar-nominated actor. The other side is his reputation as an experimental and quirky artist.

Truth be told, I'm not sure if Scion's products really play well to either of these two archetypes. First of all, I don't expect to see anyone in a tuxedo driving a Scion, ever. This is not the car for high-end Hollywood types. Second, I don't think it connects that well to creative types either. Both the iA and the iM are rebadged versions of the Toyota Auris and the Mazda2 sedan. Not exactly original.

At the end of they day, having Franco is an ad should translate to views on YouTube, and that can be considered a win for Scion.

 

[scionic]

You make a good point about the type of people they are, the Scion's and the poor connection going on between them.

Sounds like they should be getting the type of people that the demographic is pulled to, and they've seem to have done some of that already.

 

[Lando]

Scion is not for celebrities, but celebrities sell things. They would need to find a celebrity that has a more folksy and common appeal.

 

[scionic]

Scion is not for celebrities, but celebrities sell things. They would need to find a celebrity that has a more folksy and common appeal.

Well yeah, it's all about the audience those celebrities have and targeting that audience since that same audience will tune into things they're involved in.

 

[Lando]

Anyone know if these commercials are running on TV, or is this just a YouTube thing? It seems to me that younger people don't watch TV that much, but they do go on YouTube and watch a video with James Franco in it.

 

[Moe]

If they target the right crowd then TV ad's could work well, just need to target the shows that attract the crowd Scion knows they need.

 

[IHazCheeseburger]

Not James Franco but I think Scion is running out of commercial ideas.
No Scion! No!

The one for the iA isn't as bad.