Sexism sells
Steven Silva
When a company wants to advertise, a lot of money is spent identifying their key demographic. In particular, car companies hold a lot of focus groups and workshops to identify those who they should be marketing their new products to. The result of all this is they know exactly who is going to buy their Aveos and Hummers. Everybody’s happy, right? Well, not exactly.
Chevy has a new add campaign for their new Silverado Heavy Duty (HD). The first time I saw the ad in an automotive magazine I was disgusted and amused. The whole ad is based on a comparison between men and women. For the entire length of the ad it states how women should stick to playing with dolls and how big, strong engines are for big, burly men only. It further perpetuates gender stratification by talking about how the truck won’t appeal to women because the truck doesn’t come in pink like their favourite stilettos. Now, I’ll save you the rest of the extremely sexist details; I can sense you’re getting pissed.
Is this what they came up with after all of their research? Looks like one poindexter forgot to carry a one.
Okay, I’ll admit, traditionally, trucks have been men’s vehicles, especially the old-school, heavy-duty versions, but the key word here is “traditionally.” Yes, back in the day, a heavy-duty truck had unrefined engines, brutal manual transmissions with heavy-duty clutches so weighty you had to stand on them to shift, and suspension that would shake your fillings loose.
Fast-forward to 2006 — now the top of the line HDs all come with automatic transmissions. Wait, it gets better: the interior is so plush and the suspension so forgiving you might think you are driving a late ’90s Lexus. Don’t get me wrong, today’s HDs tow more and are more powerful than ever ,but have become more refined over time.
Yet, through all of this, Chevy still gets the impression that these raw beasts of fury are meant for men only. After all, they are built to do ‘man’s work,’ according to Chevy.
Research is great, but you and I live in the real world. Reality is, I know of more women driving duleys, F-250s and Silverado HDs than men. When it comes to handling these trucks, believe me, guys; these girls can handle them and then some. In fact, I know of girls who are driving their daddies’ old-school F-350s, and anyone who has ever driven a beat up version of one of these with an original clutch knows how amazing a feat that is. Oh, did I mention they could parallel park those trucks, too? The truth is, I can name more than a few women who can handle their boyfriend’s truck better than he can.
Nice research GM! Hey, I know — as long as you’re being ignorant, why not slap a confederate flag on the roof?!
It blows my mind how a company like General Motors, the world’s largest automotive company, can be this unaware. No wonder the foreign carmakers are kicking GM’s ass in sales. At least the foreign companies offer cargo dividers in their heavy-duty trucks just big enough for women to keep their pink stilettos in.
