Without even having to look at the bottom right corner, I could already tell that this ad belonged to Volkswagen. The picture of the car itself reminds me of the signature VW Beetle, also known as the bug. The difference is that the viewer of this ad can easily tell that the car looks like a bug with its antenna, which is a prominent feature among insects. Insects are not very loud and big creatures. So this ad insinuates that VW cars allow such a peaceful and quiet ride that you’re almost discreet, like an insect. The background shows that this is the only vehicle on the road as the sunrises out on the horizon of the mountains. This form of mobility provides safety and it’s also compact that it has enough seats for the whole family. But I wonder why the seats are not filled with people. Perhaps it will distract the viewer from the actual product?The first thing I noticed when I glanced at this ad was the color. From the sky, mountain, road, and of course the car, the majority of the ad is covered with different shades of blue. Blue is a soothing and peaceful color. Others relate blue to being natural because it is the color of the sky and ocean. Blue is also the color of trust and dependability. These are all qualities that appeal to a car buyer.
The other day Aaron asked me if I liked Mini Coopers. I immediately said no because of their size. I’m not too fond of small cars that are low to the ground. He responded with, “Small is the new big.” This is completely true because now with the economy, consumers want cars that give good gas mileage and they are avoiding the gas guzzlers. Even though the VW vehicle is so small, it still guarantees power as it states on the bottom, “The Golf R32 with 250 horsepower.” To most car consumers, power is everything.
5 comments:
If you look at the picture of the car, the wheels being so close to each other make it look very small, like a child. My first thought was: is it going to tip over? It's really similar to a baby or an insect; it looks weak but can be very powerful (both insects and babies can be extremely annoying)
Also, when I look just at the shadow, I see a shadow of a spider on top of a box. Perhaps this car is more that what the timid image portrays.
Is this car for real? I like your meditation on mobility, power, trends, and imagery.
As an avid car enthusiast I found this ad a bit weird. For one, because I know that the car pictured in the ad is in fact not the car they are trying to advertise, the Golf R32. If you google this you can see what I'm talking about. And secondly, unlike the car in this ad, the VW R32 is one of the most raved reviewed sport compacts in the auto world. Were they just trying to create a stark contrast between the slow and the fast? But in this picture it seems they try to portray this car as going fast as you can see the blur of the background. The peaceful and quiet backdrop you mention seems too serene and perfect and rather artificial, possibly computer generated. Well actually it must be since there is no driver, or they’ve been edited out. Which brings up your interesting question of why there aren’t people occupying the vehicle. Maybe they wanted to create the feeling that the vehicle moves on it’s own, that it’s “alive”? And bugs are pretty mobile creatures, but for no apparent reason but to survive. Just as in this ad, the vehicle is moving in the middle of nowhere, where is its destination? Thinking of it as personification through a picture. This contrast of colors, from gray to baby blue does bring out the main point of the ad. And what does this slogan “Overtake faster.” suggest? Maybe the blue suggests something Earthly as in being water powered? And as you’ve also pointed out you are more drawn towards bigger cars, which seems to be the general public’s taste too. And today’s car manufacturers are suiting this demand. Does this demobilize us in a way? Knowing that bigger cars consume more resources (building materials, gas, space, etc.). And with smaller vehicles, do they make us more mobile by consuming less?
The size of the car in the picture is obviously due to Photoshop. Being a car fanatic, there would be no possible way that an engine would fit into that size of a car. The only possible way to fit an engine into that bus-type car is to put at largest a 2 cylinder engine beneath the driver's seat.
I really like Warren and Calvin's comments here: nice attention to detail and further questioning.
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