COMMUNICATIONS 223W
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Advertisement Analysis
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Assignment #1
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Suzan Aktug
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301239016
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October 3, 2013

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The Ford Motor Company was established in 1903 by Henry Ford. While Ford was once one of few vehicles available and had little competition, over the years the market has become saturated with alternative options, Ford has had to work to stay relevant through advertising campaigns. Ford has continued to rebrand itself and create eye-catching advertising campaigns for their line of vehicles. The advertisement “Carwash” which is for the 2013 Ford Focus GFX Sport Ralley edition embodies how Ford would like the public to perceive the Focus brand and uses signifiers, a means of relating a subject to an inanimate object to attract the subject to the advertisement. While Ford has the Mustang for speed, and the Explorer as the ultimate family car, the Ford Focus is both. It’s not just a family car, or a racing car. It’s all of the above and more.
The scene being depicted in the advertisement is that of a woman washing the racing paint away from her yellow Focus in front of the garage of her suburban home. The removal of the racing paint to showcase the “normal” car underneath, mirrors what the advertiser’s state in their tagline that the Ford Focus GFX is now “dressed for the streets”. The vehicle in the advertisement is used as a signifier for the potential purchaser. It is expressed through the removal of the paint, essentially by showing that just as people have layers and different personality traits, so does this car and washing away the racing paint has dressed it down.
The advertisement is not just a signifier for the subject, but the removal of the layer of paint implies that the vehicle can satisfy a person’s need for speed with the handling construction of a racing vehicle, but also has the functionality to be used as a person’s primary vehicle. This advertisement also invites the subject to imagine themselves in the vehicle by depicting a scene of a suburban lifestyle which a subject who would consider purchasing a Ford Focus may either relate to or desire to relate to.
The product attempts to differentiate itself from other ads on the market by making the vehicle appear appealing to numerous subjects. In JudithWilliamson’s 1978 article on Meaning and Ideology, she states that “the first function of an advertisement is to create a differentiation between one particular product and others in the same category” (p. 24). While many advertisements for mid-range cars want to make their vehicles seem either sporty, or family oriented through advertisements, this advertisement attempts to achieve a balance between the two. By posing an average car as a racing vehicle, this appeals to a larger audience, one that might be interested in a fast car as well as a convenient vehicle.
By placing the vehicle in the forefront of the advertisement and keeping the surrounding area muted with similar colours it draws the viewer to look directly at the vehicle. It successfully does this by creating a fairly simple scene in behind of bushes and trees which makes the yellow of the vehicle pop. The woman has also been dressed in muted tones; brown shorts and blue tank top make her blend into the background thus she is an accessory to the car instead of the other way around. The scene that is depicted in the ad uses connotation which expresses that the car represents the ultimate suburban lifestyle without having to give up the glamour related to owning a sports car. The advertisement also contains very little wording, allowing the subject to focus on the vehicle as opposed to mechanical details, leaving the vehicle to stand on it’s own.
Ford has successfully created an ad for this vehicle by using the vehicle as a clear signifier for the viewer by showing the vehicle’s layers, which mirror the layers of a person. It also uses signifiers to differentiate itself from other vehicles within the market by using the removal of paint as a signifier that shows the car is more than just your average car; there is more to it than meets the eye. By creating an advertisement it allows the viewer to form their own opinion on the functionality of the vehicle and invites them to learn more. Ford chooses to place their logo at the bottom page out of the direct line of sight. This signifies Ford’s confidence that a subject knows this brand. Fords use of effective signifiers, differentiation and colouring to attract a subject to the advertisement and make them pause. This makes “Carwash” an effective add for the 2013 Ford Focus Sport Ralley Edition.
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References
1. Williamson, Judith (1978). Decoding Advertisements. New York, NY: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd.
“The Ralley Inspired Focus GFX. Now Dressed For The Streets”
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