Using stereotypes to market products is not a new practice. After all, commercials and advertisements are nothing more than an attempt by a company to grab the attention of the consumer. By doing so, the company hopes their product will be purchased. However, in this age of political correctness, using stereotypes in commercials is a dangerous game.
It appears that Chevy is not concerned that people may think the company is marketing certain vehicles to certain portions of the population. Chevy’s use of stereotypes in their marketing campaigns for the Silverado and Impala are insulting to every American no matter what background they may come from.
The commercials are really stupid, too.
During the football season Chevy began running commercials for the Silverado using a new John Mellencamp song called “This Is Our Country.” The first ad, roughly a minute long, showed bits and pieces of American history. Everything from photos of Dr. King to the moon landing to Dale Earnhardt were shown. While I highly doubt Dr. King would have owned a Silverado, this commercial was more annoying than anything else.
Throughout the season, different variations of these commercials would run. These commercials would feature blue collar workers or farmers, mostly white Americans, either driving or situated around the Silverado. Once again, no big deal. Trucks are more popular in rural areas than in urban areas, and statistics will show that more farmers are white than any other ethnic group.
The stereotypes in this commercial aren’t as insulting as the song is. This Is Our Country” being played in the background of these commercials sends a message to the consumer that true Americans are small town folks who like their country music, NASCAR, and blue jeans. I may be as white as they come. However, I was always led to believe that America was made of the melting pot. What makes our country great is that there is no one true stereotype that can fully describe what living in the United States is about. Thank you, Chevy, for teaching me otherwise.
As if the executives at Chevy felt the need to make an even dumber commercial, the company debuted a new advertisement during the 2007 Grammy Awards. This commercial was for the Impala SS. The commercial features a rapper (who I don’t know and didn’t feel like looking up) performing alongside an Impala. Throughout the commercial, numerous women wearing very little clothing can be seen shining the car and even changing a tire. Near the end, the rapper is shown to be driving the car with his seat back and low and one arm on the wheel. Overall, it looked like an awful music video.
My first thought upon seeing this was that the commercial had to be some sort of joke. I found myself waiting for one of those Nationwide “Life Comes At You Fast” bits. I was disappointed when none appeared. My second reaction was how insulting I would find this commercial if I were black.
If I were to write an article about how all black people drive with their seats back and one arm on the wheel while loud rap music booms from the car I would be labeled as a stereotyping jerk. Luckily for me, Chevy has taken care of doing so. Consumers also learn from this commercial that if you’re black and drive an Impala, you must be some sort of rapper. I would love to take a poll of African-American males just to find out if this particular commercial made them feel like they were missing out on something if they didn’t drive an Impala.
Both of these commercial campaigns suggest that it is not only acceptable but expected for one type of person to drive one type of vehicle. These stereotypes may not be insulting to many people, but they do make for bad commercials. I suggest that Chevy try promoting their products from now on instead of the people they consider to be their customers.
