I chose to use advertisements
created by Nissan/Infiniti. Jack Solomon's ideas about elitism and
belonging show through in these advertisements showcasing the Infiniti G
series, both sedan and coupe. The reason for me choosing to do this blog
on a car commercial is because it is the car I personally own. I thought
it would be interesting to look further into how the advertisers over at Nissan
utilize some, if not all of the aspects of what Solomon was talking about in
his "Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising" essay.
It is a possibility that the advertisement subconsciously made me want to
buy that car, rather than one of their competitor's cars. I picked a
commercial from 2008, to show how they chose to display their advertisement around
the time my car was made. This older
advertisement is interesting, because it makes you think that the Infiniti G35
coupe could be for anybody, but also not really at the same time by targeting
the thrill seekers. It is simple and
complex at the same time. I also have picked one of their more recent
advertisements that aired eleven months ago, because I thought it demonstrated
the fantasy aspect of the advertiser manipulation explained by Solomon.
Now, I will focus on the first
and earlier advertisement. The video
starts off with a married couple holding their newborn baby boy in front of a
shaky video camera. This demonstrates
the technique utilized by advertisers called “new realism” to make the audience
think that the commercial is real, straight up, etc. because they want you to
believe you are getting just the facts.
The commercial continues on showing a plethora of short home video clips
of the little boy growing up, but at the same time he is always doing
adventurous, thrill-seeker type activities.
Then, the grown up boy, obviously now a man, is in the beautiful G35
coupe driving alone down a highway bridge accelerating into the horizon. It is this act of driving alone on the
highway at high speeds that creates a sense of elitism and exclusiveness about
their car. I believe the advertisers are
doing this so it makes any common, suburban, middle class person want to be
that thrill seeking “lone wolf”, as Solomon describes it. The advertisers want to subconsciously
trigger your fantasy like thoughts and desires of being in a car like that,
preferably theirs of course. They
purposely exploit your “American dream” desires so the consumer will purchase
an Infiniti rather than any other car.
They want you to feel a certain and special type of way when you see an
Infiniti. Their goal is to make you
believe that you belong in an Infiniti, ultimately leading to the
purchase. This is directly related to
Solomon’s idea of elitism and belonging.
Infiniti switched up their
marketing scheme and adapted to changing times, which led to their newer
commercial for the G37. In the car,
there is a couple that is rather good looking.
The woman is especially beautiful because Infiniti wants the male
audience to think of beauty when they see the car. They utilize sex appeal. Just as Solomon explains, the couple never
actually looks directly at the camera, creating the sense of elitism that you
are special if you are in this car. The
man behind the wheel is casually driving right in the middle of a Formula One
race, showing how the car is extremely fast, agile, sleek and overall just an
extraordinary car it is. This also taps
into your unconscious desires because who would not want to drive as fast as
racecar drivers in your own car. The
whole commercial is about elitism. From
the beautiful couple that both sexes would be attracted to from the consumer
point of view, to the fast racing on a Formula One track with actual drivers,
to the handling we see as it drives and by just the look of the car, although I
prefer my coupe, the advertisers make it seem like the G series is in a class
of its own. Their slogan, “Luxury should
inspire confidence at every turn, no matter what road you take” is masterfully
crafted to make the audience really reflect upon what they just saw and
read. It sounds so remarkable and is a
perfect ending to their highly appealing commercial. It is just icing on the cake, making you want
to drive one even more than you did just by watching the commercial. To be in
one is exclusive and special, and that is essentially what the consumer wants
and what the advertisers want you to feel and think.
Both of these commercials
exploited the consumer’s wants and desires and are prime examples of Solomon’s
philosophies. Infiniti clearly is doing
something right in terms of marketing and selling their products. Infiniti is a popular luxury car that is only
increasing in popularity as time goes on.
This goes to show that the advertising firm they hired to create their
commercials absolutely know what they are doing when it comes to making their
audience feel special and making their car appeal to them. Successful marketing is key when it comes to
selling their cars. These commercials
are primary examples of how Solomon describes elitism and belonging.
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