Changes in Automobile Advertising

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Ads (or advertisements) are everywhere. These messages come from different platforms, and they are aimed at convincing people to purchase goods, services, and ideas. From its simple beginnings in ancient Greece and Rome, advertising is now multimillion-dollar industry. Companies make huge investments, utilize sophisticated technologies, and make use of very persuasive language to market existing products (Green, 2012). The automobile industry made excellent use of advertisements. According to Georgano (2013) “the advertising industry and the automobile grew up side by side and each was a major stimulus to the other” (para 1). The changes in automobile ads over the years are reflected in their contents, platform, target audience and features emphasized. Honda’s “Hands” commercial, winner of 2014 Best Auto Commercial (Adweek.com) is completely different from the print commercials published several decades ago. Examples of these print ads are the 1957 Chrysler 300C commercial published in Sports Illustrated in May 27 1957 and the 1972 Gremlin X advertisement published in the Hot Rod and Car Craft in April 1972. Both ads are in full color with detailed backdrops of natural settings. The Chrysler depicts a couple sitting on their car with the beach waves behind them while the Gremlin shows a long drive on a tree-lined pavement in the countryside. The cars certainly were shown in perfect condition. They both looked shiny, clean, comfortable, and quite powerful. However, the movement in the video of Honda’s hands was entirely captivating. What the print ads conveyed through long lines of text at one side of the ad was presented by Honda in a matter of seconds through the changing images that come out from the movement of the hands. ... ... middle of paper ... ...shown on TV, in theaters, social networking sites, websites, and billboards. The present day automobiles ads are promoting not only the basics of the care but most of all, these ads are marketing a lifestyle. At present, image is very important and having the right car would definitely boost the image that one intends to project. Works Cited Frumkin, M.J. (2002). Classic Muscle Car of Advertising: The Art of Selling Horsepower. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. Georgano, G.N. (2003). Chapter 4: Advertising. In Vintage Years 1920-1930, p.87. US: Mason Crest Publishers Green, J. (2012). Advertising. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. Gibson, R. (2013). Advertising. Alternatives Journal, 39 (2), 64. Perch, J. (2013, May 13). “How automobile advertising has changed over time” DMV.com. Retrieved from http://www.dmv.com/blog/auto-industry-advertising-trends.

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