Advertising must be a tough business. As tv viewers, we can appreciate those creative, funny advertisements and laugh in all the right places. But most of the time the ads fall far short of persuading us to go out and buy that widget.
One ad that's getting a lot of air time these days is the Dodge pickup commercial in which two yokels pull up beside a truck hauling a new Dodge pickup truck. One of the guys climbs aboard the truck trailer and removes the pickup truck's cover. The poor fellow is simply enthralled with that new Dodge pickup. The cover flies off and obscures the windshield of the car the other guy is driving causing him to crash through the fence and sail off the highway.
So here's the thing. Why do we drive the cars we do? Once we get our basic needs: food, clothing, shelter and tv set, then we need a way to get around -- a set of wheels. But, ever since the days of Henry Ford the vehicles we drive are not just for transportation, we need to make a statement.
Whether it's a Hummer or a hybrid, a sports car or a sedan, we are trying to impress someone. Who is it? The neighbors? The co-workers? The people at the gym? The other parents at the soccer game? Deep down inside each of us knows the answer.
Which brings us back to that Dodge advertisement. If when you shop for a new pickup truck your goal is to impress the likes of those two Dodge-crazy hillbillies, then you might be the subject of a you-might-be-a-redneck joke. Jeff Foxworthy, call your office.
Comments