Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Sexism Sold
The 1964 Volkswagen ad was made by the Volkswagen company to attract the attention of husbands whose wives drive cars. The advertisement is implying that the Volkswagen is the best car for women because when they crash, the car won't sustain damage. The Volkswagen company is using the stereotype that women can't drive as well as men to promote their car's safety value. The ad utilizes ethos by establishing the fact that women will most likely crash a car you buy them as women were seen as inferior to men. The ad successfully established exigence by claiming your wife crashing the car is inevitable, however, that is the best thing about the Volkswagen because it will still be drivable and not sustain as much damage. This ad was successful in conveying the message to the male audience because men saw the picture of the slightly damaged car as a sign that their investment in the car would not be wasted. Women of the time could have also seen this ad in a positive way because the ad is exemplifying the safety features of the Volkswagen. The Volkswagen company portrayed its message successfully to anyone viewing the ad.
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I think that this post is very accurate and straightforward. It would be interesting to see a comparison of a Volkswagen advertisement today, and see the contrasting characteristics of the advertisement from the 1960s compared to today. Moreover, it could portray how society has become to believe that women are more equal than they were in the 1960s.
ReplyDeleteI find the ad very interesting where you say that Volkswagen uses women's "bad driving' to promote their product. This ad certainly did not help women get out of the stereotype, and reached out to men who then would think their wives could not drive well, creating a cycle where women were just constantly placed into this stereotype.
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