Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 16:23:56 -0600
Reply-To: Wesley Alden Pegden <wes@CS.UCHICAGO.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Wesley Alden Pegden <wes@CS.UCHICAGO.EDU>
Subject: Re: New VW Commercials
In-Reply-To: <20060308214605.89786.qmail@web51515.mail.yahoo.com>
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I dunno, sometimes thinking it through can be worthwhile. Probably, since pretty much the "dawn of time", it has been much more socially acceptable for men to ride horses and fly planes...
On Wed, Mar 08, 2006 at 01:46:05PM -0800, Anthony Egeln wrote:
> I wouldn't over-think this one. Since the dawn of time young men have enjoyed going fast....whether it be on a horse or a high performance jet aircraft. As far as speeding goes, if you act irresponsibly behind the wheel, you go to jail. That doesn't preclude driving fast for fun on secluded country, mountain or desert roads.
> From someone well past fast but still able to remember........
> Anthony
> '89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)
>
> Donald Baxter <onanov@GMAIL.COM> wrote: I think the "fast" commercials are problematic and tend to make me
> eliminate VW from my choices of potential new vehicles. I think they
> portray women as foolish and subhuman, i think they encourage an
> irresponsible use of vehicles on public thoroughfares. As someone who
> spends about 12 times as much time on the back of a bicycle or on
> foot, I get to witness a lot of this encouraged behaviour from
> vehicles as it is. Who needs more testosterone-laden driving
> practices encouraged by media culture?
>
> Here's an excerpt from a Slate article about these ads (and i think
> they're more than a "tiny" bit offensive):
>
> As for this spot, it's funny, only a tiny bit offensive, and totally
> appropriate to the product at hand. The GTI is???as Volkswagen eagerly
> noted on the phone with me???a "hot hatch" and a "pocket rocket." It's
> the kind of car that appeals to hyper-aggressive young knuckleheads.
> And so the other three spots in the campaign center on 1) speeding, 2)
> reckless driving in inclement weather, and 3) more female-hating. ("My
> Fast makes it hard to have a relationship," says the demon voice in
> this last spot, after a guy exiles his girlfriend from his GTI because
> he'd "rather not carry the extra weight.") This strategy makes perfect
> sense when a car's main selling point is horsepower-per-dollar.
>
> But there's a problem. According to Kurt Schneider, GM of creative
> content for Volkswagen, these ads are also meant to "reinvigorate the
> emotion behind the whole VW brand" and act as a "halo" for a revamped
> marketing effort. The hot-hatch GTI is now considered nothing less
> than "the soul of Volkswagen."
>
> Which would be great if VW's customer base were comprised entirely of
> Sigma Chi brothers. But what happens when it comes time to market the
> Jetta (to sensible grown-ups of both sexes) or the Passat wagon (to
> families)?
> ----end of excerpt-----
>
> I think these ads mark the beginning of the end of VW being a standout
> in advertising and mark the beginning of VW advertising their product
> more like Budweiser advertises beer.
>
> DB
>
>
> On 3/7/06, Doug F wrote:
> > Anybody check out the new VW GTI commercials?
> >
> > Un pimp your ride....hilarious!
> >
>
>
> --
> ---------------------------------------------
> Donald Baxter
> 316 Ridgeview Avenue
> University Heights, Iowa 52246
> www.onanov.com
>
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> Why is academia so cut-throat? Because the stakes are so low.
> --Nichols and May
>
>
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