Volkswagen Use Of Gender Stereotypes

Everyday we encounter advertisements through social media, television, billboards, and events. Advertisers take advantage of these platforms to promote their products to a specific viewing audience. Viewers subconsciously interpret the messages these commercials convey to them, and it lingers in their mind. The commercials are full varying signs that represent, “cultural desire and consciousness,” the lack of consciousness for subtle messages create illusions in the minds of the viewers to instate the desire amongst them (Maasik, Solomon 158). This gives advertisers power over viewers, if this power is abused, it allows for the negative messages to retain in the subconscious. Then messages will become incorporated into the lives of viewers,

They poorly promote their discount by suggesting that traditional gender stereotypes are still acceptable today. The commercial’s target audience is men in a “men’s men” perspective, which is done “to reinforce male fantasies in an environment of clear masculinity and male domination” (Craig 186). Men are targeted because Volkswagen referenced the dated stereotype: Men are breadwinners in households. To grab the attention of the “money-makers,” the “man-cave” is used to augment the concept of traditional gender roles in a household and to represent men's “unchallenged freedom of a fantasized masculinity- to travel, to be free from commitment, to seek adventure” (Craig 186). Essentially, Volkswagen is trying to sell this desire of male domination to their target audience by substituting this meaning in for their product and to dig into their pockets. Viewers notice this through the subtle suggestions of traditional house norms acted out during the commercial. Their strategy is ironic because although they are advertising a modern car, they still reference outdated stereotypes. This is demonstrated by the use of the traditional gender roles from years ago to make their statement to their target audience, men, who apparently make all the executive decisions in the relationship. The woman’s judgment, in the moment, is blurred because of the countertops in the kitchen, while her husband does a more rational thought process of number-crunching was the advertiser’s not-so-subtle way of utilizing gender stereotypes to their advantage. Based on the stereotype, Volkswagen advocates for these traditional norms: A woman’s role should be to stay home and tend all the chores by herself, while her husband goes and tends to his career in the office. Volkswagen’s choice of advertising method fail at sufficiently convincing because of the usage of offensive stereotypes. The implication to be made is