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Deconstruction of an Advertisement Essay

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COMM 10265 DECONSTRUCTING AN ADVERTISEMENT ASSIGNMENT Sexy Subaru Car Wash Sexy Subaru Car Wash

Sexy Sumo Car-Wash Video.flv - YouTube

Subaru puts a new Eastern satirical twist on the tradition Western sexy car wash in their advertisement for the Forrester which in place of Heidi Klum or Jessica Simpson sumo wrestlers scantily washing the new vehicle. This advertisement starts off with a dirty Forrester pulling into the car wash with seductive music playing in the background. Most audiences expect a group of supermodels in bikinis to come out and wash the car, however the elderly couple and the audience is surprised to see six sumo wrestlers come out in uniform to wash the car. The sumo wrestlers whip their rags and rub …show more content…

This ad violates social and cultural norms by replacing beautiful women who normally would advertise cars with sumo wrestlers, a reference to the origin of the cars manufacturer. In an article published in Motor Authority it was quoted that "Unlike the bikini-wearing models in other ads, you're not left wondering where the car is…If anything your eyes seek out the [car], if only for aesthetic relief." (Lienert 2011)
In this advertisement Subaru Canada is also portraying a sense of Japanese pride. Sumo wrestlers are honored in Japan and by replacing a Canadian or American supermodel with a symbol of Japanese pride, the sumo wrestler. This connects viewers with the pride of a Japanese manufactured car that the ad is trying to sell.
What else is the ad selling?
Subaru Canada is selling a new type of car advertisement which shows deviance to societal norms by changing the image of what people think is sexy. Sex sells is a long standing phrase that can be used to define the advertising industry and before this commercial was released many manufacturers marketed “sexy” car advertisements using Sports Illustrated swimsuit models or models of a similar stature. Subaru in lieu of the sexy bikini models has chosen to express their individuality by chosen a cultural representation to poke fun at traditional advertising. Subaru takes a humorous approach to the commercial, selling the

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