Before the car appears, you hear it, a soft electric hum cutting through a silent forest at dawn. A beam of morning light catches the curve of a fender, and for a moment, the vehicle feels less like a machine and more like a promise. Automotive advertising has always worked this way. Long before engines grew quiet and dashboards glowed with pixels, car ads invited people into stories, stories of freedom, status, identity, and possibility. Across a century of cultural change, one truth has remained constant: cars are never just sold. They are narrated.
This white paper traces that evolution from illustrated fantasies to immersive digital ecosystems. It explores how emotional design, behavioral economics, and the Experience Economy shape modern automotive narratives and why brands like Rivian, Ford, Kia, and Mercedes‑Benz continue to rely on stories rather than specs to win hearts and wallets. It also examines the ethical responsibility that comes with this influence, especially as EV brands lean heavily on sustainability narratives that can sometimes oversimplify complex realities.
Painted Dreams: When Cars First Entered the Cultural Imagination
Before cars became everyday objects, they were marvels of engineering and symbols of modernity. Early automotive advertising leaned heavily on illustration, using dramatic landscapes, elegant cityscapes, and stylized figures to position the automobile as a gateway to a new world. Carboni (2023, Peer Reviewed) notes that between 1920 and 1937, avant‑garde and modernist magazines became essential platforms for automotive advertising. These publications blended artistic experimentation with commercial persuasion, turning cars into icons of progress.
Figure 1: From the 1920s to the 1950s, painted car ads used idealized figures, bold contrast, and harmonious composition to frame the automobile as a visible manifestation of modernity.
These early visuals didn’t simply show a product. They staged a fantasy. The car was always the hero; sleek, powerful, and ready to transport the viewer into a better version of life. The imagery was aspirational, cinematic, and deeply symbolic. Even without motion, these ads created a sense of momentum.
As the decades progressed, automotive storytelling became more sophisticated. Lämmlein (2014, Peer Reviewed) explains that car commercials often mirrored mythical narratives, using archetypes like the hero, the rebel, or the protector. The Kia Soul’s iconic hamster campaign embodies the rebel archetype in a lighthearted way, transforming everyday scenes through music, movement, and charm, and pulling people together through a shared moment of joy. Similarly, a Mercedes‑Benz spot might portray the Grim Reaper as powerless against the vehicle’s safety features. These stories position the car not just as a mode of transport, but as a mythic disruptor, an agent of change within a larger narrative.
Jackson (2023) notes that contemporary marketers often map Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey onto short‑form brand narratives, using a clear call to adventure, a moment of trial, a moment of transformation, and a return to make viewers feel like the story’s protagonist rather than passive observers. Toyota’s commercial “Thin Ice” exemplifies this technique: the spot stages an athlete’s call to action, a literal and symbolic fall through the ice as the trial, a reflective moment of vulnerability, and an emergent transformation that reframes struggle as strength, with the brand positioned as the supportive mentor that witnesses and enables that growth (Jackson, 2023).
This early foundation established a truth that still guides automotive marketing today: people don’t buy cars; they buy the stories cars allow them to tell.
Seeing the Story: How Gestalt Principles Shape Automotive Desire
Visual storytelling works because the human brain is wired to find patterns, relationships, and meaning in images. Gestalt psychology explains how viewers perceive visual information as unified wholes rather than isolated parts. Bonner (2019, Module 4) highlights principles such as similarity, proximity, continuation, closure, and figure‑ground, all of which appear consistently in automotive advertising.
A vehicle framed by dusk and shoreline becomes more than a focal point it becomes a feeling. The open frunk, softly lit headlights, and shared meal suggest intimacy and ease, inviting viewers to imagine themselves inside the moment. Lucid Gravity’s design doesn’t just rely on proximity or enclosure it uses atmosphere and suggestion to signal harmony. Even minimalist compositions like this one lean on closure, allowing the viewer to complete the emotional arc and feel the pull of a lifestyle that’s both elevated and attainable.
These perceptual cues work quietly, shaping how consumers interpret the brand’s personality and values. They make the car feel intentional, coherent, and emotionally resonant before a single word is read. Gestalt principles help transform static images into dynamic stories, guiding the viewer’s eye and emotions in ways that feel natural and intuitive.
If Gestalt principles determine how viewers see a story, the Experience Economy determines how they feel inside it. As automotive brands shifted from selling products to staging moments, perception became only the first step in a much larger narrative journey.
From Products to Experiences: The Consumer Journey Expands
As cars became more common, advertising shifted from selling machines to selling moments. Lindsey (2021) describes how automotive marketing evolved from feature‑driven messaging to lifestyle‑driven storytelling. This shift aligns with Pine and Gilmore’s (1998, Module 3) concept of the Experience Economy, which argues that companies create value by staging memorable events rather than simply offering goods or services.
Pine and Gilmore famously wrote, “An experience occurs when a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event” (1998, Module 3). Experiences are personal, shaped by the individual’s emotional and cognitive state. No two people interpret them the same way.
Car brands embraced this idea by framing vehicles as gateways to meaningful experiences. Ads showed families reconnecting on road trips, individuals rediscovering themselves on winding mountain roads, or communities gathering around new EV pop‑ups. In Electric Brooklyn, a Fisker Ocean display transformed a simple park visit into a shared narrative. A trailer door opened, a crowd gathered, and people explored the vehicle in a setting that felt natural rather than staged (DeRose, 2025c).
Kasianova (n.d., Peer Reviewed) adds that while core automotive myths such as freedom and family are universal, their expression must adapt to cultural context. A pickup truck might symbolize rugged independence in one region and multigenerational bonding in another. This cross‑cultural nuance is essential as EV brands expand globally. A sustainability‑focused message that resonates in California may fall flat in areas where charging infrastructure is limited or where environmental messaging is viewed with skepticism.
This is where the improved version deepens the critique: EV storytelling often leans heavily on sustainability narratives, but these narratives can oversimplify complex realities. Charging deserts, battery production concerns, and regional energy grids complicate the “clean energy” story. Brands must balance aspiration with authenticity to maintain trust.
Emotional Design: Why Cars Feel Personal
Consumers do not choose cars solely based on specifications. They choose based on how the vehicle makes them feel. Don Norman’s emotional design framework (2003, Module 3) explains this through three levels of experience:
Visceral
Immediate sensory cues: shape, color, lighting, and motion create the first emotional hook in car advertising. Visceral tactics include dramatic silhouettes in twilight to emphasize sleekness, a bold color palette in hero shots to signal excitement, or close‑up textures (stitching, grain, metal finish) to convey quality; these cues are designed to trigger an instant, often nonverbal, attraction that makes viewers stop and look.
Behavioral
Usability and performance cues reassure viewers that the visceral promise will be fulfilled in everyday life. Behavioral examples in ads show intuitive infotainment interactions, smooth handling on varied roads, easy cargo loading, or simple charging rituals for EVs; demonstrating these moments reduces perceived friction, builds confidence, and answers the practical question: “Will this car make my life easier?”
Reflective
Meaning and identity cues connect the vehicle to the consumer’s self‑image and life story. Reflective strategies include narrative vignettes of family road trips, solo escapes into nature, or community gatherings that position the car as an extension of values, freedom, responsibility, adventure, or status; limited editions, brand missions, and owner testimonials deepen this layer by giving buyers a story they can adopt and tell about themselves.
These levels work together to create emotional resonance. A sleek silhouette triggers visceral attractions. Intuitive controls reinforce behavioral satisfaction. A brand’s mission or aesthetic creates reflective meaning that aligns with the consumer’s identity.
Color psychology plays a significant role in this emotional connection. Clark‑Keane (2025, Module 3) notes that colors evoke specific emotional responses, with red increasing arousal, blue creating calm, and green signaling renewal.
Rivian’s interiors use earthy wood tones, natural fabrics, and clean stitching to evoke balance and optimism, aligning with the brand’s mission of adventure and sustainability (DeRose, 2025a). Recently, the company announced a new limited‑edition, bolder exterior hue called Borealis, a color inspired by the Northern Lights that intentionally taps into color psychology to amplify feelings of wonder and exploration; viscerally it attracts attention and evokes awe, behaviorally it creates scarcity and urgency through its limited run, and reflectively it reinforces Rivian’s narrative of nature‑centered adventure and environmental aspiration (DeRose, 2025a).
Aarron Walter (2012, Module 3) emphasizes that emotional design builds loyalty by making products feel human and relatable. Playful details, thoughtful interactions, and moments of delight create bonds that transcend utility. Automotive brands use these cues in everything from sound design to tactile imagery.
This improved version adds a deeper layer: emotional design is not just about delight — it’s about identity construction. Cars have long been extensions of the self. Hall (2019) notes that people often choose vehicles that reflect their personality, values, and aspirations. EV brands, in particular, leverage this reflective layer by positioning their cars as symbols of environmental consciousness, innovation, and forward‑thinking identity.
But emotion alone doesn’t close the sale. Once a brand captures attention and shapes identity, the decision-making process moves into subtler territory, the quiet nudges, frames, and defaults that behavioral economics uses to guide consumer choices.
Behavioral Economics: The Subtle Push Behind Automotive Decisions
While emotion draws consumers in, behavioral economics shapes their decisions. Bridgeable (2024, Module 4) highlights principles such as anchoring, friction reduction, and social proof; all of which appear in automotive marketing.
- Anchoring: Presenting a compelling starting price or warranty frames value.
- Friction reduction: Streamlined reservation flows and click‑to‑call extensions reduce effort.
- Social proof: Testimonials, awards, and high‑visibility placements build trust.
Thaler and Sunstein’s choice architecture explains how defaults guide decisions without restricting freedom. In automotive contexts, preselected financing terms or recommended trim packages act as nudges that influence consumer behavior. Walter and Berman (2025) caution that these tools should help consumers achieve their own goals rather than manipulate them.
This improved version expands the critique: behavioral nudges can be powerful, but they can also obscure complexity. For example, EV reservation flows often highlight tax incentives or “estimated range” without contextualizing factors such as temperature, terrain, or battery degradation. Anchors can unintentionally create unrealistic expectations if not paired with transparent information.
Few modern brands combine these psychological, emotional, and experiential layers as cohesively as Rivian. Their storytelling offers a real‑world case study in how these principles converge into a unified narrative.
Rivian and the “Made to Stick” Playbook
Among modern automotive brands, Rivian stands out for its narrative clarity. Their brand storytelling blends emotional design, sustainability, and adventure into a cohesive identity that resonates deeply with consumers. Using the Heath Brothers’ “Made to Stick” framework (2007), Rivian’s messaging excels in several key areas:
- Simple: “Keep the World Adventurous Forever” is a clear, powerful core message.
- Unexpected: Launching with electric trucks and SUVs instead of sedans captured attention.
- Concrete: Real‑world use cases: off‑roading, camping, hauling, ground the brand in lived experience.
- Credible: Direct‑to‑consumer hubs and early adopter testimonials build trust.
- Emotional: The brand sells a lifestyle of exploration and connection with nature.
- Story‑driven: Customers are invited to become part of a larger adventure narrative.
Rivian’s approach is a modern evolution of the early “painted dreams” era. Instead of illustrated fantasies, Rivian uses real‑world adventure scenes, authentic customer stories, and immersive brand activations. Their hubs function as physical embodiments of the brand’s values, places where consumers can touch, feel, and experience the narrative firsthand.
The upcoming Rivian R2, expected in 2026, extends this narrative by making adventure‑ready EVs more accessible. Its launch will likely lean heavily on emotional storytelling, sustainability cues, and community‑driven brand activations. But this improved version adds a critical lens: Rivian must balance aspiration with transparency. As EV adoption grows, consumers are becoming more aware of the complexities behind battery production, charging infrastructure, and environmental impact. Rivian’s challenge will be to maintain authenticity while navigating these realities.
Visual Storytelling and Advertising: Great Leap of Faith
Visual storytelling seeks an emotional connection; measurement seeks evidence. The previous section traced how a brand invests to be seen. This section bridges that investment to the question every marketer secretly asks: Did the story move people to buy? We do that by pairing advertising budgets and channel choices (what brands paid for) with what consumers actually say matters when they buy (what drives purchase decisions).
Why sales and spend belong in the same sentence. Storytelling can create affinity, but sales close the loop. Where budget flow determines reach and frequency, where consumers place their priorities determines whether that reach converts. In 2023, passenger car manufacturers spent most heavily on television, about $1,231.36 million, while internet spend was $322.95 million, showing that legacy mass-reach channels still dominate manufacturer media plans (Statista, 2023). At the same time, auto and light-truck dealerships in 2023 spent $794.98 million on television and $248.34 million on the internet, with dealerships also allocating meaningful dollars to radio and outdoor, evidence that local and mass channels operate in parallel to drive showroom traffic (Statista, 2023).
Digital is not optional; it’s strategic. By 2024, the automotive sector allocated a large share of its media mix to digital channels, accounting for about 74.7% of media ad spend, placing it among the top industries shifting dollars online (Statista, 2024). That shift matters for storytelling: digital lets brands test narrative variants, measure engagement, and optimize creative in near real-time capabilities that pure TV cannot match on its own.
Match the story to the buyer’s checklist. What consumers say they want is the final arbiter. In September 2025, U.S. respondents ranked fuel efficiency (54%) and safety (53%) as the top purchase criteria for cars, followed by price and quality (Statista Consumer Insights, 2025). Separately, a December 2024 survey found product quality (58%), price (53%), and vehicle performance (51%) to be the leading factors when choosing the brand of the following vehicle, while brand advertising was cited by only 10% of respondents (Deloitte/Statista, 2024). That gap is revealing advertising builds awareness and shapes perception, but product quality and tangible ownership experience remain the decisive purchase drivers.
Figure 10: Fuel efficiency, safety, and quality top the buyer’s checklist. Real-world value drives brand choice more than advertising.
What this means for visual storytelling.
- Use TV to set the stage, digital to test the act. TV still buys scale and emotional impact (the “big leap” in a story), while digital captures attention, measures micro-conversions, and refines messaging for the moments that matter.
- Align narrative to purchase drivers. Stories that foreground safety, efficiency, and demonstrable quality are more likely to move the needle because those are the attributes consumers list as most important. Emotional resonance must be anchored to these functional truths.
Local and dealer spend matter for conversion. Dealerships’ investments in TV, radio, and third‑party listing sites (2023 averages show heavy spend across these channels) are the final mile where storytelling meets test drives and transactions. Ad, landing page, and dealership experience all reinforce the same story: conversion rates rise.
If measurement reveals what works today, emerging technologies reveal what will define tomorrow. The next era of automotive storytelling is already taking shape, more personalized, more immersive, and more culturally adaptive than anything that came before.
The Future of Automotive Storytelling
The future of automotive advertising will be shaped by personalization, interactivity, and authenticity. Several trends are emerging:
1. AI‑Driven Personalization
AI will tailor messages to individual preferences, behaviors, and contexts. This will allow brands to deliver hyper‑relevant stories at scale. But personalization must be balanced with privacy and transparency to maintain trust.
Rivian has an “autonomy day” where they talk about all things AI and how this will improve their vehicles and your life as a driver. “You’ll get more time back without having to worry or stress.” The idea that a car is so futuristic but already here is the story they weave with their AI features. The following Instagram video paints a picture as members of Rivian, including their CEO, describe how their vehicles have AI integrated already and what that means for you, the driver.
2. Immersive Experiences
AR and VR will blur the line between advertising and product experience. Virtual test drives, interactive showrooms, and mixed‑reality brand activations will become standard.
3. Cross‑Cultural Adaptation
As EV adoption expands globally, brands must balance universal myths with local truths. Kasianova’s research highlights the importance of adapting narratives to cultural values. A sustainability‑focused message may resonate in one region but require reframing in another.
4. Authenticity and Transparency
Odendaal (2025) argues that long‑term loyalty comes from consistent, meaningful storytelling rather than one‑off stunts. Consumers want brands that feel human, transparent, and aligned with their values.
5. Short‑Form Video as the New Story Engine
Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts will continue to dominate early‑stage discovery. Zalani’s research shows that Reels outperform other formats by 36 percent.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DPRd3DpjHKF
6. Experience‑First Dealerships
Dealerships will evolve into experiential hubs where consumers can explore vehicles in immersive, narrative‑driven environments. This mirrors Rivian’s hub strategy and aligns with Pine and Gilmore’s Experience Economy.
Conclusion: Experience Engines With Responsibility
Car advertising has evolved from painted dreams to digital ecosystems, from static illustrations to immersive experiences. Through Gestalt perception, emotional design, behavioral economics, and the Experience Economy, automotive brands have learned to create stories that resonate deeply with consumers. These stories help people imagine futures, identities, and experiences worth pursuing.
Yet with this power comes responsibility. As Walter and Berman (2025) remind us, behavioral design should support consumer goals rather than manipulate them. EV brands must balance aspiration with transparency. Digital marketers must balance personalization with privacy. And all automotive storytellers must balance emotion with authenticity.
When done well, automotive advertising becomes more than persuasion. It becomes a guide toward choices that feel meaningful, human, and aligned with the lives consumers want to build.
Image References
| Figure | Caption | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (Featured Image) | Rivian R1S at sunset, charging in the wild where clean energy meets adventure, and the story begins. | Ulrich, L. (2022, November 2). Rivian R1S review: A brilliant example of what an EV can be. https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews/a41843084/rivian-r1s-review/ |
| 1 | From the 1920s to the 1950s, painted car ads used idealized figures, bold contrast, and harmonious composition to frame the automobile as a visible manifestation of modernity. | Miller, J. (2017, November 5). Photos of vintage car ads from the early 1900s to the 1960s. History Collection. https://historycollection.com/awesome-vintage-car-ads/ |
| 2 | The Kia Soul’s hamsters play the joyful rebel, turning everyday moments into a shared burst of energy and connection. | Cardinal Kia. (2016, August 2). 2016 Kia Soul Hamsters: Share Some Soul. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Q4cz0PdNpcM |
| 3 | Toyota’s “Thin Ice” turns a fall, a reckoning, and a rise into a full Hero’s Journey, positioning the brand as the quiet mentor behind the transformation. | The Embassy. (2019, July 12). Toyota – Thin Ice. YouTube. https://youtu.be/jqI2PybVH2Q |
| 4 | Lucid Gravity by the shore, figure-ground, proximity, and closure turn a quiet moment into a branded experience. | Motors, L. (2024). Home: Lucid motors. Home | Lucid Motors. https://lucidmotors.com/ |
| 5 | Fisker Ocean pop‑up in Brooklyn, transforming a public space into an experiential narrative. | DeRose, A. (2022). Fisker Ocean Pop-up Event at Domino Park in Brooklyn New York. Tony DeRose. Retrieved December 3, 2025,. |
| 6 | Borealis, Rivian’s limited plum-black hue, turns color into emotion, evoking awe, urgency, and adventure. | @rivianofficial. (2025a). Introducing Borealis. A limited color from Rivian’s Design Studio — metallic plum with deep black tones inspired by the edges of earth. Explore our newest paint at 12pm PST today. Instagram. Rivian. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from https://www.instagram.com/p/DRzkHkYDXzR/?img_index=5. |
| 7 | Rivian R2 brings adventure within reach, where emotional storytelling meets the realities of sustainable design. | Rivian. (2024). Rivian R2 Gallery. Rivian R2. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from https://rivian.com/r2. |
| 8 | Manufacturer vs. dealership ad spend in 2023. Two strategies, same goal: reach that converts. | Statista. (2023). Passenger car manufacturers’ advertising spending in the United States in 2023, by medium. Statista. https://www.statista.com/ Statista. (2023). Advertising spending of auto and light‑truck dealerships in the United States in 2023, by medium. Statista. https://www.statista.com/ |
| 9 | In 2024, automotive joined the digital majority where storytelling meets speed, scale, and measurable impact. | Statista. (2024). Share of digital advertising spending in the automotive industry worldwide in 2024. Statista. https://www.statista.com/ |
| 10 | Fuel efficiency, safety, and quality top the buyer’s checklist. Real-world value drives brand choice more than advertising. | Deloitte & Statista. (2024). Most important factors when choosing the brand of the next vehicle in the United States in 2024. Statista. https://www.statista.com/ |
| 11 | Rivian frames autonomy as time returned and AI woven into the drive, not added on top. | @rivianofficial. (2025c, December 11). Rivian on Instagram: “ai isn’t a step forward. it’s a giant leap that promises to change every aspect of our lives. tune into our livestream on Instagram live, YouTube or our website to see what that means at Rivian.” Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/rivianofficial/reel/DSIYVoECfzK/ |
| 12 | AR turns the car demo into the experience itself. Blurring the line between seeing and feeling the product. | MyWebAR. (2024, September 17). Take an Augmented Reality test drive Of #BMW M4 . https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YDE-yExJlyI?app=desktop |
| 13 | Reels win the scroll; quick, visual storytelling built for discovery and conversion. | @rivianofficial. (2025a). Rivian on Instagram: “R2 making waves (literally) at our water fording testing facility.” Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DPRd3DpjHKF/ |
| 14 | From showroom to story hub, dealerships become immersive spaces where exploration drives connection—generative AI image using Copilot. | DeRose, T. (2025). Experience-First Dealerships Concept. Copilot Gen AI Image. Retrieved December 11, 2025,. Prompt: create an image that is a customer in a futuristic car dealership inside their experience hologram. The hologram simulates the customer is driving an SUV with their POV and the drive is on Daytona Beach in Florida. Use the following as guidance for creating the image: Experience First Dealerships Dealerships will evolve into experiential hubs where consumers can explore vehicles in immersive, narrative driven environments. This mirrors Rivian’s hub strategy and aligns with Pine and Gilmore’s Experience Economy. |
White Paper References
Bonner, C. (2019, March 23). Using Gestalt Principles for Natural Interactions. Thoughtbot. https://thoughtbot.com/blog/gestalt-principles [MODULE 4]
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DeRose, T. (2025b, November 22). Painted Dreams to Electric Screens: Visual Storytelling in Car Ads. November 22, 2025, https://rosemarcentertainment.org/painted-dreams-to-electric-screens-visual-storytelling-in-car-ads/
DeRose, T. (2025c, November 23). Electric Brooklyn: Experience Economy in Action. November 23, 2025, https://rosemarcentertainment.org/electric-brooklyn-experience-economy-in-action/
Hall, B. (2019, June 15). You are what you drive. what does your car really say about you?. Medium. https://medium.com/@Rebecca_Hall/you-are-what-you-drive-aae6c205987e
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Walter, A. (2012, April 12). Designing For Emotion (Aarron Walter). YouTube (Freddusya). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks91vBm3oT8 [MODULE 3]
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Zalani, R. (2025, July 10). Instagram marketing: How to form your strategy in 2025. Buffer. https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-marketing/ [MODULE 6]