CMNS 223W
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Chevy Strong
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Term Paper
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Suzan Aktug
December 4, 2013

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Chevrolet
entered the vehicle market in 1914. The Silverado, arguably the company’s bestselling
pickup truck was introduced in the 1970’s, according to their website
www.Chevrolet.com. Chevrolet’s advertisements have often been eye catching and
relied on a consistent theme and target a specific demographic with their
advertising relying on the traditional idea of the farmer. Their ad campaigns
ensure that by targeting a specific hard working group of people that their
vehicles do not just sell to actual farmers, but people who have come to associate
the vehicle with rough, strong and hardworking people. With Chevrolet taking
the lifestyle of the farmer and attributing it to their vehicles within their
advertisements they appear to imply that their trucks are similar to the life
of the farmer in strength and workability.
I
have chosen three ads for the Chevrolet Silverado truck from the 2013 “Strong
Campaign”. Two of the ads depict male figures while a third depicts a female
figure. All three ads pull from the American Midwest and depict the characters
in the ads and the stories portrayed as “Strong”. The Chevrolet Company has
used authenticity to sell their vehicles by directing the product toward blue
collar, small town workers as opposed to white collared city dwellers. One ad
portrays numerous men being supportive and loving citizens, while another tells
the story of a man who mends a fence and then goes to look for a wandering calf
during a storm. These two ads are depictions of hegemonic masculinity in
advertising and the ads attempt to draw the audience in with the stories that
are told. The characteristics of the stories are then used to relate to
characteristics of the vehicle. The third advertisement portrays a female and attempts
to be contrary to the feminine stereotype by portraying the female as strong
and capable without a male. Authenticity, masculinity and femininity are the
key themes within this series of advertisements.
Authenticity
Robert Goldman and
John Papson notes that authenticity revolves around what is “real, honest, pure
and true” in their article “Authenticity in the age of the Poseur” (1996,
p.142). Chevrolet has taken the idea of authenticity and applied it to its
advertising campaign for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado. The advertisements use
the theme of the authentic Midwestern culture to create a series of
advertisements which are effectively driven towards a specific audience. In all
three of the advertisements the people who are portrayed are hard working, blue
collared people whose lives have been made easier because of their Silverado
truck. Whether they are driving through a rainstorm, towing a horse trailer or
experiencing the everyday life of going to work and caring for a family, they
can do so because of their truck, and because their truck represents them
because it is also hard working.
The advertisers
for the Chevy Silverado are faced with a dilemma in how they will make their
vehicle stand out amongst the rest. From the Ford F-150 to the Toyota Tacoma
there are many different trucks with heavy towing capacities and the ability to
battle numerous situations and weather conditions. Chevrolet’s ad campaign
however has made authenticity a key concept to their product. To be a Silverado
driver you must be as the commercials state “Strong”. You’re not just a man or
a woman who owns a truck. You’re a man or woman who is working hard and needs a
truck that will do the same. A real, authentic farmer is going to drive a
Silverado, as the Silverado is the sign of a hardworking person. The
advertisers want the consumer to see the commercials and see a piece of themselves
in it. The consumer also has children, also is married and works hard every day
to provide for their family. The narrative in the advertisements is meant to
speak to the consumer and explain why the consumer is just as authentic as the
actors in the advertisements.
The article by
Goldman also states that “Searching for authenticity within commodity culture
results in an endless sign chase” (1996, p.148). The Silverado truck is used as
a sign to show authenticity. The people in the commercials, the hard working,
blue collared workers are personified in the truck. The truck is hard working
and the person that drives the truck is also hard working. Two of the
commercials start as “This is [man/woman]. A [man/woman] and [his/her truck]”
what follows is “[A man/woman], [his/her] truck and a…” the advertisement
attempts to show the consumer that the person’s lifestyle is directly related
to the vehicle, creating a union between the person and the truck. This
advertisement invites the viewer to picture themselves as the man/woman with a
truck, and how this truck is going to benefit their lives and their struggles.
The advertisements also use class status as a way of engaging in authenticity.
By using a working class culture as the drivers of the vehicle we are meant to
see the vehicle again as “strong”. There aren’t lawyers and doctors driving
these vehicles – they are meant for the working class, the man that as the song
in the commercial notes “ain’t just tough, he’s strong”. The “Strong”
advertisement uses the authenticity of the working class struggle to portray
the uses of their vehicle. While trying to provide the viewer of the commercial
with an authentic, Midwestern experience, Chevy creates a lifestyle out of
their truck.
Masculinity
Masculinity
and the portrayal of the modern man is another clear theme throughout the
“Strong” and “Broken Fence” commercials. The men in the commercials are almost
all white and portray the role of the working class male. Many are portrayed as
the stereotypical cowboy as well and wear both cowboy boots and cowboy hats.
This harkens back to the day of the Marlboro man who was the quintessential
sign of masculinity. However these men are not just tough cowboys. The men in
the advertisements are portrayed as family men, hard workers and providers for
not just themselves and their families, but also their community. The Chevrolet
Silverado manages to combine the traditional manly-man as well as the form of
modern masculinity and marry the two to create an ideal person, and this ideal
man drives a truck which is just as loyal, strong and capable as he is. “[The] hegemonic male is said to be a strong,
successful, capable and authoritative man who derives his reputation from the
workplace and his self-esteem from the public sphere” states Rebecca Feasey
(“Spray more, get more: masculinity, television advertising and the Lynx
effect”, 2009, P. 358). The Chevrolet Silverado commercials hit the theme of
hegemonic masculinity directly on the head with their choice of characters in
their advertisements. However, Chevrolet also manages to create a sense of
sensitivity within the males, as is noted throughout the “Strong” commercials,
it is not enough for a man to be just tough anymore, he also must me “strong”.
The
men within the “Strong” commercial all have the appearance of the traditional
masculine male. The same as how women are generally portrayed as beautiful,
Chevy ensures that all of the men in their commercials are physically fit and attractive.
While they are careful to not make the men look like models, they attempt to
create a balance in between where the men portrayed could easily be a viewer’s
friend or coworker. In addition to the appearance of the men, their actions
also portray an ideal form of masculinity as it is seen in todays world. The
men who are portrayed in the “Strong” commercial are also all great husbands
and fathers and show a sensitive side.
Sensitivity
is also a key figure in the commercials, For example, in the “Broken Fence”
commercial it states “This is a man. A man and his truck. A man, and his truck
and a broken fence. A man and his truck and a broken fence – and a lost calf”.
The scene, along with the music and the dark and stormy weather is portrayed on
a hard going terrain that the farmer must face. The farmer in the commercial
then goes on a search in his 2013 Chevy Silverado for the lost calf. During the
hunt for the lost animal the audience is not meant to just focus on the vehicle
and how well the truck is handling the storm that the farmer is driving
through, they are also drawn to the story that is unfolding about the
unrelenting farmer searching for his lost calf. The truck is the reason that
the farmer can go looking for the lost animal, but is not the reason that he is
looking for it. The reason that he looks is because he cares. As the man spots
the baby cow, he does not just pick it up and throw it in his truck. The camera
focuses on the man as he bends down towards the frightened and cold animal and
then zooms in just as he places his hand on the calf’s head and strokes it’s
ear to sooth it. This shows that the man does not just treat the animal as a
piece of property; he cares for it and is concerned for its well-being. The
farmer in this commercial is an example of how hegemonic masculinity has
changed in the twenty first century. It is no longer enough for a man to just
be tough – he has to also be “Strong”. A Chevy Silverado driver doesn’t look out
for number one, he looks out for his farm, and he has feelings and is sensitive
to the plight of an animal.
Chevy
is attempting to break down the traditional tough farmer stereotype and
allowing a newer, more sensitive man to be the face of the Chevy Silverado. The
sensitive male is also clearly portrayed in the “Strong” commercial. “He’s a
twenty year straight gets to work on time” shows that that men in the
commercials are hard workers, they go to work and they are dedicated to their
jobs and providing. However he’s also “loved one woman for all his life”, again
showing the sensitivity of the man. In the commercial at this point a man and
his wife sit on the back porch and clutch each other’s weathered hands. The
holding of the hands and the close up is used as a sign. Both of their hands look like they have been working.
The weathered hands are a sign of a partnership, not just a man who provides
for his wife. Also, a Chevy truck driver is not a cheat, he is not a
philanderer he is a good husband and a good father. The Strong ad also portrays
the men with their children. One scene is a man at his child’s baseball game.
While the truck is not seen in the scene, the advertisement attempts to market
the lifestyle of a Silverado driver to the working father. Feasey also notes
that “that the texts [masculine commercials] present the ‘prevailing cultural
values’ about sexuality and gender that dominate a particular historical period.”
(2009, p.359). The theme of sensitive masculinity is very accurate in the
Chevrolet Silverado commercials as we see the men as modern day cowboys. The
men are family men with a sensitive side who work hard, no longer the Marlboro
men of years past. The theme of the modern masculine man is clearly portrayed
throughout both the “Broken Fence” and the “Strong” commercials through the use
of wording in the music as well as the actions that are portrayed in the
commercials.
Femininity
Commodity feminism
is fairly new to the Chevy Silverado line up. Through my research I was unable
to find any commercials which starred a female in previous years. However, in
2013 Chevrolet introduced the “Woman and her Horse” commercial which features a
woman towing her horse to a barrel racing competition. This commercial takes
feminism and attempts to demonstrate that the woman that drives a Chevrolet is
anything but the average woman. The advertisers have the woman towing her horse
with the Chevrolet Silverado and attempt to show how she just as strong as the
men who are also portrayed in the commercial.
The difference
however between the commercials which prominently display men and this
commercial which displays a woman is that the woman’s gender is highly focused
on. As the commercial notes “she has a ribbon for the wall, not for her hair”.
Also, the woman is very attractive which is likely due to the advertisers
desire to use the male gaze so as not to alienate their male audience. You can
see that the men in the commercial look at the woman and her horse, whereas had
a man been portrayed the literal gaze that the woman receives likely would not
be there. The woman’s skin is flawless and her hands are very soft, as can be
seen when she holds her hand out the car window. Also, she wears jewelry on her
wrist which is another feminine signifier. The appearance of the woman is
integral to the advertisement while the voiceover attempts to differentiate the
character from other females. Her appearance is also worth nothing as it is
completely unlike the other farmers which are portrayed in the “Strong” and
“Broken Fence” commercial whose hands are calloused and faces weatherbeaten.
Goldman notes in
his “Commodity Feminism” article with reference to women that “advertisers assemble signs which connote
independence, participation in the work force, individual freedom and self
control” (1992, p.133). This advertisement attempts to display all of the above
and more. However, this advertisement unfortunately ends up looking like a poor
attempt at attempting to turn around the male gaze and attract a female
audience. By using a woman in the advertisement instead of a male the company
tries to show that they are equal opportunity. However by focusing heavily on
the gender of the main character they are unable to form an honest connection
with the viewer. The commercial attempts to note that the woman is just as strong
as any man; however it treats her like a fantasy object.
Conclusion
Chevrolet has
successfully created the “Strong” advertisement campaign for 2013 Chevrolet
Silverado by using people, as well as a catchy song and voiceover to sell their
vehicles. While the “Woman and her Horse” advertisement leaves much to be
desired in the face of femininity the “Strong” and “Broken Fence” commercials
successfully marry a story as well as an advertisement to attract a viewership.
By using authenticity as the basis of their advertisements and coupled that
with the themes of strong masculinity and femininity the company has branded
itself as the working man’s truck. The Silverado advertisements while
mentioning the capability of the vehicle rely heavily on the story that is
being told as opposed to touting the features of the vehicle. By telling a
series of successful stories the company has managed to advertise in a way that
allows authenticity, masculinity and femininity to rule the series as opposed
to saddling the advertisement on the achievements of the vehicle itself. By
personifying the vehicle in the characteristics of the people who are
portrayed, Chevrolet’s advertisements remain eye catching to even the most
white collar worker who might not consider the vehicle otherwise. It also
compliments their target demographic by referring to them as strong
individuals, and only a strong individual would drive a Silverado.
References
Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, at a final state of the force's formation, changed its name from NW Mounted Rifles to Mounted Police, he made a distinction that would be important in a growing Canadian culture.patio fence
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