End of Saturn a loss for TV ad market?

For TV ad sales executives the death of the Saturn brand is bad news. A deal that might have kept the General Motors car division in business fell apart and Saturn now seems set to join an ill-fated conga line of GM brands Hummer, Saab, Pontiac and Oldsmobile headed for the exit.

Penske Automotive Group said September 30 it was walking away from a deal to keep Saturn in business. The firm was unable to find a manufacturer to make the vehicles after GM stops producing the brand in 2011.

So what does this mean for TV ad sales executives? Saturn spent $60 million in the first half of 2009, according to TNS Media Intelligence. While that is significantly down from the $134 million Saturn spent in the first half of 2008, in this economy every penny counts.

In March, Saturn fielded a TV campaign from ad agency Deutsch, LA, part of Interpublic Group, that reinforced the message, “We’re Still Here.” According to a New York Times ad column, Saturn was introduced in 1990 with a campaign from Hal Riney & Partners with the slogan, “A different kind of company; a different kind of car.” In the end, perhaps not.