Summary: In Chrysler’s 2006 “Anything But Cute” five ad campaign, the “Too Tough” ad attracted the criticism from the Advocate, a group whose audience composes mainly of gay men. During the 30 second ad, a “fairy” uses her magic wand to turn many commonplace, normal objects into cute, sugary images. She does not succeed in turning the “Dodge Caliber” into one of her many creations and it is assumed that that the car is “too tough” for the “fairy” to “girlify.” However, the matter of criticism is when the “fairy” uses her wand against a large man with an equally large dog and turns him into what many people consider to be a “prissy” character walking small puppies and thus “the universally recognizable gay stereotype of an effeminate gay man” (Advocate).
Analysis: “Northwestern University marketing professor,” Tim Calkins, asserts that “the key is, if you find an ad that's offensive, then you have to respond and in some cases take it off the air” and that it is “hard to make an entertaining commercial without offending a particular group” (Advocate). Through this statement, Chrysler’s ploy was to utilize the gay man and sacrifice his character in order to appeal to the much stronger or “tough” men that the car was designed in mind for. In order to make this ad, the designer had to create a character that his audience does not want to be. Therefore, the gay man came into creation into this specific ad. The underlying message in this particular ad is that if you want to be a man, you should own this car. In addition, the other implied message is that if you do not buy this car, then you are essentially the “effeminate gay man.” Fundamentally, the ad is urging an identity and pushing one onto its audience who are male youths. They are advising that this is what you should be or that is what you do not want to be. Gay men are faced with a gender conflict. They become the victims in a supposedly harmless video or so we suppose. Often, the gay man is the source of humor and this humor is what allows an audience to question in the recesses of their mind the pivotal question that pokes at the line on sexuality and character. At first glance, the video is simply what it is: an advertisement for a commercial product. Upon deeper reflection, Calkins’ understanding of the social media holds true. In order for a message to get across, there is normally a target group that suffers. It is the same with commercials regarding diets and loss of weights in that the target group would be plus sized females. Everyone is trying to conform or achieve what the social media in its context of values has set forth.
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