Author: BMW ™
Date: 2008
Place of Publication: Greece
This advertisement is a picture ad by the major motor company BMW for their used cars. The ad was created based on years of research associating beautiful woman with selling cars. The words read- You know your not the first. But do you really care? The majority of the image is taken up by a young woman's face and upper body. She is not wearing clothes and has her hands and hair positioned to appear sexual. There is no car on the image at all, and the BMW sign and information is small and in the corner. This places the woman at the front and center of the advertisement. The advertisement is appealing directly to the lust of their viewers and is comparing the beautiful "used" woman to their beautiful used cars.
The words suggest that the woman shown is not a virgin and is placing the viewer in the position of a man about to have sex with her. The connotation is that even though she is a "used" woman, and you are not the first, she is still beautiful and you still want her. She is being directly compared to their used cars. The advertisement strongly appeals to the deadly sin of lust. The woman is naked, and in a sexual position. The caption makes the viewer think about the possibility of sleeping with a woman like her. This is transferred to the idea of a used car because of the metaphor being presented. BMW uses the lust of the woman to appeal to the lust of their cars.
The audience of the image is very clearly men. I would place the image on men of all ages over 16 because the appeal to a beautiful young woman for a man is not restricted to certain ages after that. BMW was primarily targeting men of middle age and class due to the fact that they are able to drive. The advertisement is for middle class, because they are selling a cheaper alternative that will appeal to those how cannot afford a brand new BMW. They are trying to use lust to place a positive connotation on the possibility of buying used, instead of buying a cheaper brand. They are appealing to the gluttony in the middle class of the grand things in life, and presenting a way to enjoy them.
First of all, as an avid advertising nerd, I would like to point out that so many car companies use lust in order to make cars look desirable. Most car commercials feature the shiny new car cruising along a marvelous landscape with a woman either driving or just along for the ride. I am so tired of this technique. It is outdated, overused, overrated, and simply unsuccessful for teaching me anything about the vehicle being advertised. Contrary to that, Subaru does an awesome job of breaking away from this convention. Their familial advertising techniques are ingenious and effective. The slogan, "Love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru," is awesome. Okay, rant over.
ReplyDeleteI would like to comment on the way a woman might perceive this ad. Women buy cars too right? A woman might take it one of two ways. First, she might view this ad and be disgusted with its objectification of women. It is degrading to think that men view some women as "used", and even more degrading to see this ad take advantage of a man's inappropriate outlook toward women. Second, she might see the beautiful woman in the advertisement and compare herself to that woman. She may believe that the advertised woman is what men want, and then feel worse about herself as a result. Or this outlook may make her more likely to buy a BMW! Either way, I believe that it is unacceptable for this company to take advantage of society's outlook on women.