The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

November 20, 2017 | 2 min read

The juxtaposition of seeing a worn-out, used car star in its own well-crafted auto ad has helped a couple get rid of their old Honda after the listing went viral.

Early in November, California-based filmmaker Max Lanman utilized his skills to create a stunning ad for his girlfriend’s battered 1996 Honda Accord. Little ‘Greenie’ was showcased with drone footage panning over distant vistas and the road-bound glory shots that define the ad genre.

The used car has been on and off eBay after bids reached ludicrous heights, giving eBay the impression that the offers were a hoax. In a wave of nuanced marketing, car marketplace CarMax has swept in to offer $20,000 for the car. Not bad for a vehicle worth $499 and with 141,000 miles on the clock.

The couple have accepted the offer from the used car marketplace although it has noted that it is offering a princely sum for some of the miscellaneous items from the ad too.

CarMax promises there is more to come from the stunt. It may well get its money’s worth and utilise Lanman’s film making prowess in future.

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