Response #1
I agree with this student’s assessment of Craig’s article. I do wonder where Craig would place ads such as the most recent campaign for Home Depot, with Ed Harris providing the voice-over. Even though Home Depot is a place that most would associate with men, the people making the decisions in the commercial are women. Men do appear in the ad, but they either work at the store or are with women who are making the decisions.
I disagree with the notion that all car commercials are directed toward men who dream about freedom and “sexual affairs.” Many car ads focus on reliability, and while many luxury car ads contain elements of escape, the sense of freedom could be a release after a hard day at work instead of a rejection of marriage or monogamy.
Response #2
I like this student’s analysis of the Kia Cadenza commercial. A lot of car advertisements do try to equate the relationship between the person and the car and the emotional connection between two members of a romantic relationship. This is to build brand loyalty as well as to justify the financial expense of choosing a particular car. Here, the notion that buying a particular car will make a woman stand out gives women that transfer of positive emotion from the purchase. Whether the Cadenza would actually do this is a matter of debate, but it is the predominant theme of the advertisement. If someone were actually to believe this with a Kia, it would have to be on more of an unconscious level, as the Kia brand does not have the same sort of prestige as some other companies, but the ad establishes it effectively.
