May 1997 target audience by Leslie Harpold |
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Love in the Wrong Places
Ashamed of your last girlfriend? Not getting any? Having a hard time
finding the one? Paseo can help. At least that's what this ad
seems to be saying. Every time I look at this ad, I imagine a different
interpretation, and I guess that is what makes it beautiful. This vague
turn of phrase "Makes a Better Impression Than Your Last Date" seems to
carry with it the weight of whatever is pressing down on your shame spot,
and leaves a lot of room to appeal to all the viewers insecurities.
This ad appeared in WIRED, Esquire, and GQ so let's start with the
assumption that this is geared at men. A straw poll of current issues of
Vogue, Glamour, Mademoiselle and Allure showed this ad didn't appear in the
female equivalent of those men's fashion mags, and it is now known that the
average WIRED reader is a 37 year old white male.
Is the car more impressive than the way your last date turned out? If your
date didn't put out, or had little interest in hearing about your
childhood, this car can fix that. If she - and I imagine it's a she, since
so little advertising is aimed at the gay community at large, had bad
table manners, was not a snappy dresser or had a little too much ass on
her, this car will rectify that horror and humiliation.
Maybe you introduced her to your friends and they gave you, you know, the
look. The one that says, "No, not this one, not one of us." Buy this
car, and reassure your friends and loved ones that you understand what the
standards are, and you can meet them. Paying a woman to go out with you to
make you look more handsome and desirable is taboo, but buying a fancy car
is AOK! Show them all you've got juice!
So, after you get sucked in, and read the fine print, the love rap kicks
in. The woo Toyota pitches here is cleverly worded, let's look at it one
sentence at a time.
Finding the "right" one isn't always easy.
Putting the word "right" in quotes is a clear reference to dating and the
hunt for Ms. Right. Ah, I see the copywriter fancied themselves a master
of the metaphor, and by trying to remind the viewer how lonely and
simultaneously hard to please they are, they are trying to instill that the
Paseo, a car, will appeal to their increasingly discriminating tastes. It
isn't always easy, which means that if he really needs to, he can
scare up some booty now and then, but overall, he's still looking.
You want to be comfortable, have similar tastes, and at the same time,
find it easy to be yourself.
She has to understand how great you are. She also has to understand that
you're the kind of guy that thinks a car would be an acceptable symbol of
your attractiveness, but not be upset that you chose, as the symbol of your
sexiness and virility a mid-priced sedan instead of a hot little sports car
or a fancy European vehicle.
Choosing the right car isn't much different.
Oh, just in case we missed the point, they're gonna spell it out for us.
That's so kind of them. It makes you wonder if Toyota is following in the footsteps of Subura, the company who brought you what may have been the least effective
advertising metaphor of the late 20th century: "It's like punk rock, but
it's a car." Instead of seeking a more effective way to push the hunks of
motorized steel, they just keep looking for a more effective metaphor.
This is starting to get old.
Wait, choosing the right car is like choosing the right woman. Kick
her tires, take her for a spin around the block and make sure the odometer
hasn't been reset? (I'm guessing that would mean see her without her makeup
before you make any sort of commitment? Haggle for price, get some
insurance and drive the baby home? I see the similarities.)
This is where I went from vaguely amused to a little hot under the collar.
You want a sporty performance car that suits your style, that's fun to
drive around in and is a true reflection of your individualistic
personality, and can come in a convertible.
Right on the heels of the revelation that the car you want bears numerous
similarities to the woman you seek - we learn that Toyota is trying to
assert that other top virtues include being fun, which I have no problem
with, but a reflection of the reader's individualistic personality? Like a
good woman?
Girls, I hope if you have your eye on a Paseo owner, you don't get bogged
down trying to express your personalities, after all, like all good girls,
you know, you're just there to reflect his individualism, look good and of
course, put out, but while you're putting out, make sure you pull out all
the stops and give him the ride of his life, because a guy like that, well,
he demands a sporty performance.
You also have to come in a convertible, which I assume means you have to be
willing to die your hair, or be a stripper, or make any minor adjustments
to better fit his individual preferences. And girls, I know you'll be
happy to do this, because this winner drives a Paseo. He's not like
the other boys, he's special!
So we'd like to introduce you to the stylish Paseo
Here's where they pull back, I wish they'd have had the guts to say what
they were thinking "We'd like to introduce you to the lady in the parlor
hot little whore in the bedroom, Paseo."
After all, great first impressions often lead to lasting relationships
Mmm, yeah, I want this guy. I'm going to be hanging out at Toyota dealerships
in my best shoes, and something low cut and racy, waiting for just the right
guy, the one who walks in with the ad in his hand saying "this is what I
want." I'll throw myself at his feet promising to give the sporty
performance he needs so badly and swear to only reflect his
individuality. I'll exist for him, and never, ever make fun of his
vulnerability to falling for lame attempts to sell him love and status.
That way, when I snuggle up to my new Paseo owning snookums, he can feel
secure that the car is working, and as long as he has it, he'll never be
alone.
back to the junk drawer
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·and such and such·
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