The nature of media in this bold modern age is such that we don’t really have things like commercials that manage to capture the attention of an entire country, but as improbable as this sounds, this was once A Thing. Some random-ass company would make some commercial for some product of theirs and then for months everyone you know would be asking you where the beef is. That was just how the world worked.
It’s not really that way now – sure, we have memes everyone seems to know, but society is a lot more compartmentalized and divided into niches than it was before. But back in the day, a company that could come up with a clever ad campaign could manage to seize the attention of a whole nation. And that includes Japanese car and truck makers with names that sounded funny to Americans.
I’m talking about Isuzu, of course, and their ’80s-era advertising phenomenon, Joe Isuzu. I suspect most of you are familiar with this campaign; if you’re not, here’s a little taste:
I think you get the bit they’re going for there. He’s a liar. An unrepentant, unashamed liar, and it’s honestly pretty funny stuff. It was a pretty bold move, back in the day, playing on tropes about dishonest car salesmen, so it was a bit risky, too.
These ads first hit the scene in 1986; Isuzu came to the US in 1981, and their first ad campaign revolved mostly around how the name was allegedly hard for Americans to pronounce:
Was it that hard to pronounce? Really? Or maybe there was just something wrong with plaid jacket dude? Regardless, even if this initial campaign didn’t last long, it did show that Isuzu was a company willing to have some fun in their ads and be a bit irreverent.
The ads were often genuinely funny! I like how in this one which, for some reason, was set in the UK, Joe Isuzu claims he sold an I-Mark to the queen for “seven pounds, nine ounces” and notes that the radio can drown out “the cries of the peasants.” It’s fun. They’re having some fun.
Of course, most of the reason why this works is because of the skill of the actor playing Joe Isuzu, David Leisure. Leisure had a real gift for a sort of confident, smarmy insincerity that really sold the character. You got the sense that it just didn’t matter to Joe Isuzu if what he was saying was true or not; the point was to say it, boldly and unashamedly.
Leisure had played a number of smaller comedic roles before getting cast as Joe Isuzu, including one of the Hare Krishna characters in the zany 1980 movie, Airplane!:
The ad agency that came up with the Joe Isuzu campaign, Della Femina, Travisano & Partners originally wanted Jon Lovitz to play the role, which seems to have been pretty heavily based – perhaps even stolen? – from Lovitz’ pathological liar character he performed on Saturday Night Live:
I think even if the initial inspiration came from Lovitz, Leisure made the role very much his own. Where Lovitz’s liar was a bit nervous, a bit insecure and desperate, Leisure played the role in an entirely opposite way. Joe Isuzu wasn’t lying furtively in hopes of getting away with something; Joe had the cool aplomb of an astronaut, and didn’t care if you believed him or not, because none of that actually mattered to Joe. Joe just lies for the joy of lying.
Some ads actually just had Joe antagonizing other car dealers, and not exactly lying, as such. But it still worked, again thanks to Mr.Leisure:
The company even found ways to incorporate Joe Isuzu into print advertising:
As far as how the ads themselves worked, initially, they were great: Isuzu sales went up by an impressive 18% after the ads started, but then leveled off, because of something no one really anticipated: the character created for the ads was a hit, but not so much the cars.
Everyone was paying attention to Joe Isuzu himself, and kind of ignoring the cars he was shilling. People remembered the funny lying man, but ask them to tell you anything about an i-Mark or Trooper and you’d be met with a blank stare.
This is all kind of a shame, because Isuzu was making some genuinely good cars and trucks at the time; I personally owned an Isuzu pickup and loved that thing:
I guess there’s a lesson here for advertisers, and I think it’s that advertising is not entertainment. Ads can be entertaining, sure, but they’re working for a particular goal. It’s like those water pitchers or ancient Egyptian cosmetic palettes you see in museums: they’re art, sure, but they also have a utilitarian job. As soon as their art value eclipses their original intended use, they can no longer be used to pour liquids or mix ochre and kohl.
That’s what Isuzu ended up doing: they made something so much fun to watch, it lost the ability to sell cars.
Happily, they solved all of this when they gave full control of the company to Joe Isuzu himself, and now every car sold is an Isuzu, using Isuzu’s new engine technology that produces raw happiness as exhaust and runs on human waste and insecurities.
At least, that’s what Mr. Isuzu told me.
Top graphic image: Isuzu
Pure Gold.
I was just talking about these adds with my son a few weeks ago. The one where he raced a speeding bullet had him cracking up.
https://youtu.be/–_cuoXznE0?si=tVB6i8sVpoOY8lJd
That ad helped sell me a Impulse! Loved that car! Wanted a Trooper too, but life got in the way.
Amazon and Temu sellers these days modeled their product descriptions and photochopped images after these old Isuzu ads not realizing that they were sarcasm.
I still kind of want an Isuzu Vehicross. though I know the longer I wait the more likely anyone I find will be a money pit nightmare to keep going.
theres a ’99 isuzu amigo for sale near my house. 155k miles asking $5K its all i can do not to stop and check it out. i just keep telling myself 2drs arent conducive to car seats.
the ones with the partial drop top out back and chunky tires were far more interesting than a comparable Jeep back then. I am actually surprised GM does not use it’s Isuzu connection and build a Bronco/Jeep fighter using the old formula here.
He looks like he has a Reagan mask on..maybe I’m just channeling Point Break.
Is it my imagination, or did Joe Isuzu once say “Yes, it’s got a Hemi”?
Yes he did when doing trucks
One of my very few regrets in life was getting rid of my Trooper before I moved to Europe. I loved that thing so much. Rebuilt the motor, 32″ super swampers, etc… I even had a buddy cut me yellow vinyl letters that said Trooper and put them on the front lip of the hood backwards like an ambulance. So awesome.
Well I timed out so need a new post. Anyone remember Leisure as an airline pilot in Empty nest? Same character and I think the inspiration for Quagmire in the comic show with Peter Griffith in Family Guy
The headline had me waiting to read about David Leisure’s death, but I guess that’s been greatly exaggerated.
“As soon as their art value eclipses their original intended use, they can no longer be used to pour liquids or mix ochre and kohl”…also applies to exotic cars.
The worst waste of money was the millions wasted on billboards that just had the outline of the coca cola bottle after it was discontinued. Won a Clio didn’t sell a bottle.
Jason really should’ve posted a link to the time he drove a showrod that wasn’t meant to be driven at all. Truly a car-shaped objet d’art.
Joe Isuzu was a hit, but not the car.
This makes me think of Trunk Monkey. I’ve seen Trunk Monkey ads selling cars, car insurance, and I think maybe also plumbing.
Hey I bought an I Mark, an Amigo, and a Vehicross. I have had an Isuzu daily driver since 1986
I didn’t say it was a bad car, just that it wasn’t a hit. Isuzu struggled for its entire tenure in the US market, and you notice that they aren’t here anymore.
I think the one Isuzu model I saw most of all was the NPR.
The Isuzu-only brand came to the US in 1981. As a three-brand vehicle, and badged as such, the Buick Opel Isuzu came to the US a few years earlier in 1976. As I recall, it was a Japan-built Isuzu (Gemini?) that was sold by Buick as an Opel. My parents bought a new 2-door in 1976. Unfortunately, it was not a reliable car.
You are clearly not correct on the car history
“You got the sense that it just didn’t matter to Joe Isuzu if what he was saying was true or not; the point was to say it, boldly and unashamedly.”
I feel like we have a guy in public discourse today who does this every time he opens his mouth. He calls himself “president” or something.
Oh, that’s Don Islyingtoyou.
Oh good someone is inserting politics again. I was hoping someone would because it has been 45 minutes since the last time
This, and the “Don’t you buy no ugly truck” were classic campaigns of the era.
I think those were syndicated, Trunk Monkey too. Done on spec by an ad agency to license to one dealership per media market.
I’ve heard that is a problem with a lot of super popular advertising. Everyone remembers the ads, nobody remembers the product.
I still don’t know what Wendy’s sold.
It had something to do with Beef, if I remember.
It’s under the pickle
Square burgers.
With mayo as a default topping. And until kiosk ordering it was hit or miss whether an order to skip the Sysco Sandwich Snot would be heeded or you’d be left using an insane amount of napkins to wipe vinegar flavored NLGI#2 off your burger to render it fit for human consumption.
Yeah, I don’t like spooge on my burgers, either.
Hamburgers, fries, chili, baked potato salad bar.
Always happy to help my Amish friends out
Where’s the beef was Wendy’s
Yo quiero Taco Bell.
Everybody from that era remembers the tagline, and the dog, but it did nothing to increase sales.
I still have a stuffed Taco Bell dog that says the line when you squeeze it. Amazingly, after 25 years the batteries still work.
“everyone you know would be asking you where the beef is. That was just how the world worked. It’s not really that way now “
Beg to differ; plenty of that kind of advertising goin’ on now. few examples:
Flo that sells insurance
Liberty bibberty
Also:
Mayhem
We are Farmers
Jake from State Farm (the original, not the bland spokesguy they brought in to trade on the name)
Apparently the insurance industry hires the best ad agencies.
“Apparently the insurance industry hires the best ad agencies.”
They can afford to take risks.
Not really they aren’t funny
With the monthly premiums all these agencies are charging people to insure their cars, homes, motorcycles, etc… I’m pretty sure there’s not much on the planet the insurance industry can’t afford
I cannot stand the mayhem commercials. Also, which insurance company are they even promoting? Flo from Progressive, the Geico Gecko, Jake from State Farm, Liberty Bibberty, these all include the insurance company in the tag lines. But mayhem?
Insurance companies spend all of our premiums on advertising because the entire industry is void of a tangible, differentiating product. So instead they play to the lowest common denominator with unforgettable characters. It worked for cigarettes and kids…
yup. Geico is “fun” (or whatever) because of that adorable lizard. But all the company really is is a bunch of spreadsheets, risk management teams, etc etc. Just like every other one.
If you have a positive association with any of these companies, mission accomplished.
Does anyone else hate the sort of character creep that happens with long-running insurance ads? Like, where the original context of the characters just gets totally lost over time, but they’re still kept around?
The Geico Gecko was originally just a talking Gecko who was annoyed that people kept calling him by accident when trying to speak with Geico, then he morphed into a Geico employee of some sort
Flo from Progessive wears an apron because the original joke was what if insurance was a physical object you could buy in a store and carry around, and she was the sales clerk in the insurance store
The Liberty Biberty guy was just supposed to be some mimbo actor who kept flubbing really easy lines because he was hired for other than his ability, now that one-time joke of messing up the name of the company is a recurring catchphrase that’s said intentionally
LiMu Emu and Doug were supposed to be a parody of a ’70s buddy cop show, now they’re doing parent teacher conferences, golfing, and hanging around a tennis court
Its like they come up with ideas with premises that really only work for one or a couple scenarios, quickly run out of ideas, but then just keep running them to death
That’s the modern era for you. Or maybe rather “Guess what day it is?”
(Loved that camel walking around the office, though.)
Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike! Guess what day it iliiiissssssss?!
Okay the fact that more people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials instead of the game want to talk with you
I own a TV set, but it’s exclusively for streaming and my Jellyfin server. We haven’t had cable for, what, 15 years now and I never set up aerial TV, so I literally know no TV ads of any kind. Coupled with ad blocking browsers and DNS, and I haven’t seen an ad that wasn’t a billboard in years. It’s a-maz-ing.
It’s also why I pay the Autopian and buy CDs or FLACs straight from artists or band camp. They deserve it.
This was lovely Jason… thanks! 🙂
I may be misremembering (probably am) and didn’t google (out of sheer obstinate stubborness) but didn’t David Leisure get a sitcom at some point after Joe Isuzu?
He was on Empty Nest, and a bunch of soaps.
Ah, that’s it… Empty Nest. Thanks Mouse!
This is a tiny token of my appreciation, given your username: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YvgUouPio0&list=RD8YvgUouPio0&start_radio=1
That was fun to watch!
I have consumed so much Japanese television that it baffles me why I can’t speak it yet. Isn’t TV how people often say they learned English?
So I’ve heard. I try that sometimes with closed captions, but that hasn’t worked.
My brain isn’t as plastic as it used to be. I took a couple of years of French in high school and spent probably 20 weeks in LATAM and have managed to retain enough that I can ask questions that will result in me being quickly in over my head when the responses come at me at normal velocity. I can read newspaper articles in those languages and at least THINK I get the gist of them.
I’ve been to Thailand and Russia. The difference was that I knew I couldn’t read written Thai and the Cyrillic characters in Russia merely confused me. I’d probably have a similar experience in Wales.
I can empathize.
My brain is so much less able to do (what I think of as) abstract thinking than it used to be… I used to program… nothing fancy, just various Unix shell scripts for work to automate workflows back in the ’90s and now I don’t think I could if my life depended on it. Heck, I hate to even change/upgrade software now: why F with perfectly functioning muscle memory?
I had five years of Spanish in Jr./high school, but I can’t really speak it at all: I’ve got a vocabulary of a couple hundred words maybe, which lets me get the gist sometimes. Limited as it is, even that is more useful than nothing here in LA, where Spanish is the second most widely used language.
I blame my inability to speak the language on my seventh-grade Spanish teacher, who was way too attractive for any 13-year-old boys to pay attention to verb conjugation.
There’s a big difference between conjugation and conjugal.
I love how we all thought wow save hundreds on a new car what a deal. Now that would be one of his punchlines.
Leisure was certainly more successful than Jeremy Davies with the Subaru “This car is like punk rock!” ad that came just a few years later.
Oh dear. I think I’d double my Autopian membership to ensure we never have to read a piece on that atrocity.
This guy convinced me to buy an Isuzu sight unseen within 5 minutes.
It was an Impulse purchase
…but the Isuzu dealership was on the wrong side of town that only a real Trooper could reach. There were bad Hombres everywhere in that part of town, I-Marking everything with colorful graffiti.
Even though I could tell Joe Isuzu was not the Axiom of honesty, we ended up at his desk, which was an Oasis compared with the surroundings.
In the end, I got an Ascender and Joe and I were Amigos for the next few years until Isuzu left our shores.
I gave up and went to the Chevy dealership. I always suspected I was on the Spectrum but for a few years I was in it.
They didn’t have warp drive, only Impulse power.
“or a Queen if that’s all you’ve got” is so fucking funny, I just had to dry my eyes. I remember finding it hilarious at the time, too—it’s amazing returning to a joke 30 years later and it’s just as funny.