Old Money Is Old-Fashioned: Acura Ad

I found this ad in Rolling Stone and thought it was an interesting take on class. The text at the top says:

This isn't trust-fund luxury. This is start-up, do-it-yourself, this is gonna be the next big thing luxury. A new generation has arrived.

At the bottom it says:

Introducing the all-new Acura TSX. Forget silver-haired luxury. This is modern, i-VTEC, ELS Surround Sound luxury. Luxury that innovates, with features like the most advanced on-screen weather information and alerts. And luxury that thrills, with an aggressive new body style, a re-tuned engine, and a sport-minded suspension. The TSX with Technology Package. It's luxury for a whole new generation. See it at acura.com.

So they're playing on the idea of the self-made man--he creates the "next big thing," he "innovates." And he's young and "modern." And "aggressive." All in contrast to those who inherit wealth, who are "silver-haired" and, presumably, not aggressive or brave enough for this car. This could be useful for a discussion of social class, in particular the old-money/new-money divide, as well as different ideas of masculinity.

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Apparently Women Want What Porsche Symbolizes

Thanks Miguel! Found here.

Also in cars as replacements for sexual partners: driving is sexual stimulation, is that a hand break in your pocket?, and conflating women and cars.

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Selling Cars With Pro-Communist Sentiment

In this commercial a cadre of communist icons are gathered in a delapidated estate. Fidel Castro approaches Karl Marx and Che Guevara. Che says: "It's time for a new revolution." Karl says: "It's about what people need."

And the last line, according to googe translation German-English, says: "The first estate, which everyone can afford."



A great example of something we'd NEVER see in the U.S.

Found here. Thanks to Miguel for the image and the translation!

Feminist Graffiti From The 1970s

Found here thanks to lawgeek.

Sometimes A Parking Brake Is Just A Parking Brake... Just Not This Time

Also not-so-subliminal.

Found where sex sells via Blog of Stench.

Comparing Cadillac Ads

One of my favorite things to do in class is to show students that advertisers target their images to the audience. Students are often resistant to the idea that advertisers consider every aspect of an image, or that gendered or racialized elements are used intentionally. Showing ads for the same product that are targeted at very different audiences can be a way to get students to think about the fact that marketing is very deliberate and nothing in a multi-million-dollar ad is left to chance.

I previously posted this Cadillac ad:


Then I found this one in QVegas, which targets the GLBT community:


These might be useful for sparking a discussion of how advertisers alter their message based on the desired consumers, and that they know what kind of image will resonate with various demographics. And note that the second ad doesn't have the menacing tone of the first one. Other examples: here and here.

For Your Consideration

I found both of these ads in QVegas, a magazine for the GLBT community.

I will leave it to you, dear reader, to decide if there are sexual innuendos at play here.

Real Men's Cars Are Mean

The last line says, "Then we engineered in a mean streak a mile wide." Can you imagine such a marketing campaign for a Honda Civic or a VW Passat? This is a man's car--it takes up more space, and it's mean--characteristics we allow (some) men, but not women, to have.

Note: I like the commenters' points that this intersects with class more (as well?)--see the comments. They did a better job with the analysis on this one than me.

Sexualizing and Gendering Food

I especially like this one of a turkey in a bikini:

And I guess this cow is sexy because she's got her tongue out and her butt turned toward the viewer:

Organic food is sexualized too:

I think this one creeps me out the most:

Connecting cars, masculinity, and meat:

These all come from Carol J.Adams's website. She's the author of The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory.

There's also this ad. And these images.

Masculinity Summed Up

Truthfully, I don't think I have ever seen so many symbols of masculinity mobilized in so short a time. I had to watch it three times:



Thanks a bunch to Christine who recommended this in our comments.

1964 Buick Riviera Ad

Osborn Tramain posted this on youtube.

At Least It's Not A Urinal

Jason was inspired by Gwen's recent post to send us this image:



Found here.

Mock Magazine Covers (And One Ad)

I thought these might be useful for making explicit some current cultural trends--I think things like the focus on pregnant celebrities' bodies are more obviously absurd when they're made so apparent.

Making fun of our obsession with celebrity pregnancies:



What the male version of a teen mag might look like:

And a fake SUV ad:

I found all these here.

Commodifying the Women's Movement

"The new women's movement. Freedom from seams and stitches."

This is another ad Lisa sent me years ago. I use it when discussing the de-politicization of social issues, and the commodification of freedom--it's just something you buy. I also use this one from Lisa:

The Jeep Liberty--notice on the right it says "Glass Ceiling" and has an arrow pointing down below; so structural inequality at work is trivialized, and again, "liberty" is something we can purchase.

These ads go nicely along with the old Virginia Slims campaign, these other "liberated women" themed ads Lisa posted previously, and the "right hand ring" ad I posted.

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Pursuing Sex with a Caddy

Another Cadillac ad using Kate Walsh. The text at the bottom says, "Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit."

Southern Hospitality?

Image via: Sports Image Times

The U.S. Border Patrol is focusing its new recruiting efforts in the Southeast, the region that just happens to have had the largest Hispanic population growth over the last few years.

How is the U.S. Border Patrol marketing itself to possible recruits in Southern states? Yup, by sponsoring the #28 NASCAR race car.

World Statistics

Click here for a "world clock" (by http://www.poodwaddle.com/) that constantly updates the total number of, well, lots of stuff: births, abortions, deaths of different types, prisoners, marriages, divorces, extinct species, gallons of oil pumped, and computers, cars, and bicycles built. You can choose to display it by how much has happened in the last year, month, day, or even from a moment, like right... now.

Thanks, Mom!

Cadillac Ad: Luxury Car = Sexual Stimulation

Dodge La Femme

The Dodge La Femme (1955 and 1956):

Here are some pictures of some restored La Femme's:

Check out the pink rosebud patterned upholstery:

It even came with matching accessories!

An umbrella and raincoat:

A compact:

A coin purse:


I think showing this car would be interesting in comparison with the contemporary marketing of feminine guns (see Gwen's post here). The guns look surprisingly like the car.

It would also be interesting, I think, to do a discussion about whether and how they market cars to women today. They do, of course, but the ideal femininity has changed and so, therefore, have the cars. Women, though, haven't changed very much. One of the reasons that the La Femme didn't sell was because women were, frankly, offended.

2007 Tonka Truck Ad: "Built for Boyhood"

The 2007-2008 campaign for Tonka trucks is "built for boyhood." You can see the ad at the Hasbro website. Click on the "watch video" tab. Notice all the messages about boys: they're just "built different," they get dirty, and they cause messes.