Sinful ads
Porsche Ad
Author: Porshe
Date: 1983
Place of Publication: magazines
In this ad, the words "Nobody's Perfect" are put in bold over a list of 1-10 where Porsche takes up every place except for 9th. The background is plain white, while the text is in black. This helps to draw attention to the words on the ad. Other than that, not much else is going on in the ad.
I've read that this ad was created in 1983 where 9 Porsche 956 models were in the top ten spots for overall classification. Except for 9th place, which was taken by Sauber/BMW. In order to make a joke out of this Porsche created this ad. This ad obviously represents the deadly sin of Pride. This is seen in how they are saying "Nobody's Perfect", they are showing how they take up every spot in the top ten except for one. By saying this they are stating how amazing they are, but even then they can't be perfect. They are basically saying "Hey guys were amazing look at our ranking, even though we aren't 9th, nobody's perfect".
As for the intended audience, it is clear that this is for car-people. Those are the people who enjoy cars, expensive cars and could afford a Porsche. To my knowledge Porsche is an expensive brand therefore these people would have to be from a higher class or possibly even high up in the middle class in order to afford this brand. Or people who just like the brand. I believe this because car people would be the only ones who would be able to really understand this ad. When I first looked at this ad as a person who knows literally nothing about cars I was lost. Car-people would get this joke, and probably like this ad. This ad could possibly be made for anyone who know anything about cars or are interested in owning a new car. Porsche is showing how they take up almost every spot in the top ten in order to brag about their success, and show potential buyers just how great they are and that's why they should get their own Porsche.
When I first saw this ad, I thought this was a very interesting choice to analyze since its message was hidden deep under the surface, but I am glad that you did! I liked your explanation of how they used this ad to tell the audience that they are better than everyone else, even though that they are saying that they are not perfect. I liked how smoothly you transitioned into your explanation of the audience and their social backgrounds. Overall, I think you did a very good job at explaining this ad and the larger message that it displays. Your use of sarcasm and comedy kept me interested the whole time I was reading, as someone who also knows nothing about cars.
ReplyDeleteI liked your analysis of the intended audience, because you're right, and I probably wouldn't have understood the joke of this ad if I saw it in the real world with no context, because I'm not a car person either. This is also a perfect example of pride, because they're saying, "Nobody's is perfect," playing on a phrase that everyone knows, then adding in the subtext, "...but we're as close to perfect as possible."
ReplyDeleteSome good thought here, and I appreciated that you considered the context of the ad, but I would suggest you review and use specific literary terms and devices in your analysis. It will make your response stronger- always start with the what and then move to the so what
ReplyDelete