Marketing 101 for car ad agencies

You've seen 'em, the soft focus TV ad, often in black and white. Camera brushes over the car lightly, then dwells on the scenery, or the pretty girl or the open road, anything but the car. Best view of the car is some arty shot from a strange angle. At this point you are wondering what the hell brand of car is being sold. The modern jello styled four door sedans all look alike, it ain't like in the '60's when you could recognize the make from four blocks away. The ad rolls on, you are still wondering what they are selling. Only at the very end of the ad do they flash up the maker's name for about 2 seconds.
Does this sell cars?
Have you seen the Toyota ad for "green" cars? Shows a car made of birch bark and twigs sort of flowing together as the wind whips the stuff around. Shape suggests a Prius, but could be anything. Then as the voice over is saying green things about recycling, you see the birch bark car decompose back into soil and disappear.
Somehow that ad doesn't speak to me either. To much like watching the final victory of body rot.