South Africa, June 3 -- Competitive market

In defence of some marketers, I do acknowledge that the local car business is extremely competitive and even the "big" brands don't seem to have the money they did 20 or 30 years ago to splurge on "big idea" ads and campaigns.

So don't expect any part-of-the-culture tag lines like "braaivleis, sunny skies and Chevrolet" or "everything keeps going right, Toyota" any time soon.

Don't believe me, then, quick: what's the tag line for Kia, Hyundai, Chery, GWM..? Yep - thought so.

What we do get a lot of is shiny SUVs (because everybody and her dog has an SUV in the brand lineup) cruising through Sandton streets or Cape Winelands or Mom and Dad packing the kids in the back seats and groceries in th...