1959/1960

Simca - 1960

This advertisement looks visually awkward since a woman and child are just drawings, where the man appears to be a print out. This mix of photography and sketch demonstrates where the producer wants to spend more money to make the advertisement more appealing to the male audience 

Envoy - 1960

 ‘Modernity’ and ‘middle class’ affordability is emphasized in this advertisement. The concept of ‘newness’ is being associated not only with the lowest prices, but also having almost all of the features that a ‘high-end’ car has at a much lower price. Here, we can see how lower prices are becoming more accepted and almost expected when buying a car. The jargon used is almost similar to that of an advertisement selling luxury, but the fact that it has four cylinders demonstrates that it is targeted towards a more humble group of people. In addition, the family is also focused on in ‘middle class’ advertisements, rather than a solo couple.

Falcon - 1960

 This is an actual photograph which is surprising given that most advertisements are drawn. The falcon demonstrates a family coming back from the grocery store and emphasizes the space and roominess of the car for the family. This is potentially an example of how the car becomes associated with necessity, and necessity affordability for all. The jargon of the advertisements shift from one of luxury and envy to that of modern, domestic house work.  

Big Car Feel - 1960

This car demonstrates an advertisement targeted towards woman. The jargon they use is “bigger where it counts” and I think it is a sexual innuendo attempting to sexualize the car and relate it to a woman. This mentality contrast the later fetishizing of the car as a distantly male object with sexualized women draped over the car to promote it. The car itself is supposed to be economically efficient. This advertisement is another attempt at ‘quality, price, value’ which is where the producer emphasizes how much the buyer will receive at a lower cost. These types of advertisements grow in the post-war period and is probably due to the economic growth after this time period. 

VolksWagon - 1960

 This advertisement is the most interesting. Despite it being a German Brand, the ad is highly gendered. “His” emphasizes how he solves a problem and is so proud of himself for coming up with the idea all on his own

-       “Her” depicts the woman as not having to wheedle the car, and she knows she is safer because she is in control. This side emphasizes ease of use, low maintence, and affordability. She gave him the catalogue for the cars, so buying two cars was actually her idea.

-       This is such an amusing way of advertising because it is highly gender specific and demonstrates the gender expectations of the time. Clearly, the man is in charge of the household income. Despite being in charge of the income, the woman is able to influence her husband in a passive, subtle way. She plays into his ego and gets what she wants. 

Oldsmobile - 1960

This ad demonstrates the difference in jargon towards men and women. Most advertisements associate surface level aesthetics when targeting women. The first section under “room!” is associated with a woman driving her family and emphasizes how much room is available to stretch out and to relax in. Here, the concept of “ease of use” is at the forefront for women. In contrast, the blurbs targeting men emphasize the smoothness of the “ride!” and describes the engine underneath. Used with the same reference to the male lens through picture and associations, the engine is described in detail. In these later advertisements, the producer attempts to capture both the woman and man’s attention, but has clearly separate spaces for both audiences. 

Cadillac – Grandest 1960

A woman is seated in the passengers seat, warmly inviting another person in. Presumably a well dressed man to match the well dressed woman, this advertisement definitely attempts to sell “luxury”. Even though a woman is depicted in this advertisement, it does not signify that a woman is the targeted audience, but rather how easily she can be used to further the agendas of the producer. 

Corvair - 1959 

This demonstrates an advertisement selling a new model of a car with the engine in the back. It attempts to portray all of the advantages to buying this car because it has “more space”,  a “far better ride”, “greater traction”, “better breaking”, etc. Ultimately out of all of the choices the producer knows the buyer can purchase, this Corvair is the “right answer” to an apparent conundrum. This advertisement is useful because it depicts the marketing ploys used by companies in order to distinguish itself from its competitors. The producer attempts to portray a possible problem, and this advertisement will settle that problem. The image depiction portrays a man showing an interested woman that the engine is in the back, which plays on the expectation that the car will peak the interest of lady friends. In addition, the emphasis that the car is  “worth every penny and every hour!” demonstrates the increasing working-class mentality that every thing in the car is designed with a specific use in mind, as opposed to a ‘luxury’ based car which may have a sleeker look but is more expensive.