Johan J. of Stimulansbloggen sent in these VW ads for their “utility” line, which depict the vehicles as “tools” to be used in manual labor (the tagline below each one says “Choose the right tool”):
The point here is to associate VW vehicles with a working-class, manual-labor version of real-man masculinity. You need the right vehicle to do your difficult, dirty job; other cars are just toys that can’t handle your manly work! It’s a common strategy when marketing trucks, vans, and SUVs. Of course, this excludes women. As Johan says, “try to imagine a woman in at least one of the ads.”
I wonder how many people who drive trucks and vans in Europe use them for work-related activities? Clearly in the U.S. most people who buy SUVs and trucks aren’t using them for work, they’re just using them for personal vehicles to drive around on paved city roads, even though ads for these vehicles still present images of ranchers and construction workers hauling things in their Dodge Rams or of adventurers driving their SUVs cross-country. Is this common in Europe as well?
You might compare these male-targeted ads to Sarah Haskins’ take on how car companies DO market to women, and the qualities that women are apparently supposed to care about in a vehicle.
Thanks, Johan!
