Through the audience analysis of the 1964 Volkswagen
advertisement, we have established that the ad is clearly catered towards men. Back
in the 1960’s it was standard to think that women were inferior and less
competent than men, so the sexism reflected in this ad was not offensive at
all; in fact, it probably made the ad more effective. The big, eye-catching
phrase on the ad says, “Sooner or later, your wife will drive home one of the
best reasons for owning a Volkswagen.” By blaming women for potential car
damages, Volkswagen was able to present their main argument (that the car is
easy and cheap to fix up) without inferring anything against the males, who were
the sole decision makers when buying a car. Personally, my favorite line is “It
may make you furious, but it won’t make you poor.” This is great word choice
because after stating what seemed like inevitable damages to any car,
Volkswagen tells the men that they should buy their car because the repairs
won’t cost as much. Additionally, they use words like “easy to replace,” “just
ten bolts,” and “conveniently
replace,” in order to subtly drive home the argument. Overall, the way that diction
is used contributes a lot to the persuasiveness of the Volkswagen ad.
The use of very simple words in the advertisement also helps persuade the audience by showing that the replacements of parts is also very simple.
ReplyDeleteAnd the big catchphrase also speaks to inevitability. Combining inevitable fixes with ease is very smart (if also very sexist).
ReplyDeleteI do agree that diction was utilized to persuade the audience that their cars will be easy to replace.
ReplyDeleteVolkswagen's diction strongly furthers the message of the ad. It makes it sound as if it is guaranteed that women will crash their cars. If this assumption is made, the males must purchase cars that are cheaper to fix. The use of diction is both extremely sexist and well thought out. I do wonder how effective this ad was at the time.
ReplyDelete