Althouse: "After watching the one-minute advertisement carefully, however, I understood feminism, or equal pay, is the last thing Audi wants you to take away from it."

February 3, 2017

"After watching the one-minute advertisement carefully, however, I understood feminism, or equal pay, is the last thing Audi wants you to take away from it."

"The message is far subtler, and more powerful, than the dull recitation of the pseudo-progressive catechism droning on in the background. This spot is visual — and as you’ll see below, you can’t understand it until you watch it and see what it’s really telling you."

Excellent shot-by-shot analysis at the link, which goes to a post at The Truth About Cars by Jack Baruth. Watch the commercial, form your own opinion, then read this analysis.

108 comments:

rehajm said...: When Audi committed to this ad Hillary was going to be president.

The analysis is brilliant. If you have never sat in a major ad buy meeting with mad men, they think exactly like this.; 2/3/17, 6:48 AM
Bill R said...: That is awesome. Well done. Great find Prof. Althouse.; 2/3/17, 6:52 AM
Expat(ish) said...: How about I think: do you *have* daughters? Hell, even sons.

That is simply not a discussion you have with kids.

And perhaps it is my lower/upper middle class heritage/experience, but mostly you try to help your kids do the best they can at everything they have to or want to do.

Jebus, people like that narrator are the folks at the BBQ where I smile, nod, and make the "need more beer gesture" and then avoid like the plague.

-XC; 2/3/17, 6:52 AM
Expat(ish) said...: NB: I got the subtext immediately, not in as much depth as TTAC, but it's not exactly subtle.

But for a person to absorb the drug, first they have to be willing to put the patch on. I didn't even take this one out of the wrapper.

_XC; 2/3/17, 7:00 AM
David Begley said...: Buy Audi?; 2/3/17, 7:02 AM
Jersey Fled said...: I raised two very accomplished daughters and never remember telling them that they were worth more or less than men. Mostly I remember telling them that I loved them.; 2/3/17, 7:05 AM
dreams said...: George Clooney doing the voice over? It sounds like him.; 2/3/17, 7:07 AM
damikesc said...: NB: I got the subtext immediately, not in as much depth as TTAC, but it's not exactly subtle.

The analysis is thorough and the assumptions fit in, perfectly, with Progressive sentiment. They are ENRAGED that they were "cheated" out of what they "deserve". They are LESS for equality than anybody else out there (they want equality for THEIR subset, not for anybody else).; 2/3/17, 7:10 AM
Kate said...: I got stuck in the droning narrator saying "worth" with the double meaning in play. "Your mother is worth less than your father." If your mother and father are traditionally married, they're worth the same, monetarily and socially.

The narration is basically, "Do you want to be killed with a knife or a gun?"; 2/3/17, 7:11 AM
MathMom said...: I nearly bought an Audi once. Got the Saab instead. Kinda glad, now.; 2/3/17, 7:11 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: The question is who is co-opting who?
The Leftist message is the corporate message.
There is a Chesterton essay from around the time of World War One, in which he blasts the capitalists for convincing women that their place is on the factory floor making them money, instead of making a home for their family. Today corporations claim, possibly with sincerity, that a diverse workforce is good because it helps their bottom line. Makes you wonder what they would do if they decided that a racist/sexist workforce was good for their bottom line.; 2/3/17, 7:14 AM
damikesc said...: I got stuck in the droning narrator saying "worth" with the double meaning in play. "Your mother is worth less than your father." If your mother and father are traditionally married, they're worth the same, monetarily and socially.

As the article briefly mentioned, the mom wasn't there. At all. She was a non-entity to the ad.; 2/3/17, 7:16 AM
sparrow said...: Very clever post with great insight into the progressive mind. Thank you, I would not have found it myself.; 2/3/17, 7:17 AM
SJ said...: Late in the critique, the TruthAboutCars author asks where the Derby car was, and how it would get to/from the event in that Audi.

Which leads me to conclude...if the video was an ad for a Subaru Outback, or Forester, it would be easy to include pictures of Dad and Daughter putting the little Soapbox Derby car in the rear.

That would also work in an ad for Fiat/Chrysler's Jeep brand, or GM's Silverado, or Ford's Explorer.

But for an Audi?

You've got to be kidding me.; 2/3/17, 7:20 AM
Henry said...: I kept answering the dad's rhetorical questions in the dad's real voice : "Do I tell my daughter ...???"

"Hell no! I don't tell my daughter this defeatist soul-crushing bullshit."; 2/3/17, 7:21 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: I'll push it one step further.

It is not about equal pay for equal jobs.

It is about upper-middle-class-bred women in office jobs deserving to be paid more than a 'lower class' man who works as, say, a plumber. Or an electrician.

Those men are the ones who actually built the kart with their child. They got their hands dirty.

Dirty hands should mean less pay than temperature-controlled office work.

She'll grow past the kart phase and become the professional.

The boys will inevitably work with their dirty hands.

And be the ones to come fix her toilet when needed.

I am Laslo.; 2/3/17, 7:21 AM
dreams said...: I can remember recently my great niece telling her little girl to not try and play basketball with her older male cousins because she would get hurt, good advice.; 2/3/17, 7:23 AM
RMc said...: "An error occurred. Please try again later."; 2/3/17, 7:26 AM
Otto said...: Folks it's just an advertisement, not a manifesto on social justice.. Think of what is the purpose of an advertisement - to sell the product!. Now who are potential buyers of audi's? Think again. That's right it is rich people, not some poor Black person living in a ghetto. So you target their culture.
Ann take up golf, it is so much better for your mental health.Or if you want to do something "meaningful" in retirement volunteer at a soup kitchen.; 2/3/17, 7:30 AM
Virgil Hilts said...: That was a fantastic analysis! You have to use tricks like this now; Cadillac tried the more direct approach a few years ago in their great super bowl ad and got pilloried for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKgSCPqY4M; 2/3/17, 7:31 AM
KJE said...: I'm going to tell my kid that the person who does more is worth more.

And the person who does less is worth less.

Every damn day.; 2/3/17, 7:31 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Laslo wrote:
It is about upper-middle-class-bred women in office jobs deserving to be paid more than a 'lower class' man who works as, say, a plumber. Or an electrician.

Hear, hear!
For every Murphy Brown, there were a hundred women and girls working in low end retail and on factory floors.
Some of them were cute, too.; 2/3/17, 7:34 AM
Curious George said...: "After watching the one-minute advertisement carefully, however, I understood feminism, or equal pay, is the last thing Audi wants you to take away from it."

Not true. There is a duality in the message. The overt message is "equal pay for women"...Audi knows that professional women are a large part of their market. You appeal to them not by showing them their accomplishments, but appeal to their life long struggle. Even though it's crap, they eat it up. So show them the little girl overcoming all odds, and have the voice over support it.

The more subtle visual message is a wink-wink to their main market, older white men who have climbed the ladder.; 2/3/17, 7:36 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: Rather than a child who 'looks like a child' -- a bit of baby fat, say -- they picked a child actress with features that match closest to an adult form of beauty.

Look at seconds 40, 43 and 45. At a casual glance she could be sixteen, seventeen. Not childlike glee but brushing her hair back like the cool chicks.

Audi trades on sexy with its cars. They have traded on sexy with the young girl.

The mother is nowhere. Mothers aren't Audi-sexy.

Audis will get you jail-bait, if you want it.

I am Laslo.; 2/3/17, 7:36 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: "That's right it is rich people"
It's rich people who want their superiority over poor folks affirmed, and that affirmation is a result of their progressivism. That was the point of the commentary at the Truth About Cars blog.; 2/3/17, 7:38 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: The analysis is silly. The purpose is to convince people if they buy the Audi they will be winners, perhaps especially if they have a lower class upbringing.

The real message is most certainly not money and breeding are always winners, or the female would be considered worth less than her male peers and that message would have to have been reinforced instead of challenged.

WRONG: If you are rich and well-bred buy the Audi.

RIGHT: If you want to consider yourself, or display to others, you are a socially-aware winner with money then buy the Audi as evidence, conspicuous. Hell looked at in this light it is a bargain at any price, though bargains are for folks not as socially-aware as buyers of this Audi most likely.; 2/3/17, 7:39 AM
Wince said...: Laslo's coorect.

"Equal pay for equal work" will no longer be the loadstar in Massachusetts.

It's "comparable work."

And what are the permissible criteria for pay differences?

No employer shall discriminate in any way on the basis of gender in the payment of wages, or pay any person in its employ a salary or wage rate less than the rates paid to its employees of a different gender for comparable work; provided, however, that variations in wages shall not be prohibited if based upon: (i) a system that rewards seniority with the employer; provided, however, that time spent on leave due to a pregnancy-related condition and protected parental, family and medical leave, shall not reduce seniority; (ii) a merit system; (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, sales, or revenue; (iv) the geographic location in which a job is performed; (v) education, training or experience to the extent such factors are reasonably related to the particular job in question; or (vi) travel, if the travel is a regular and necessary condition of the particular job.

But notice, nothing about physical exertion, necessary strength or market supply and demand.

And who will be the new compensation committees, the arbiters of comparable work?

Juries.; 2/3/17, 7:41 AM
wendybar said...: President Obama talked big.. but did little... https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/male-female-pay-gap-remains-entrenched-at-white-house/2014/07/01/dbc6c088-0155-11e4-8fd0-3a663dfa68ac_story.html?utm_term=.0dd9ca595dd0; 2/3/17, 7:44 AM
Wince said...: Laslo Spatula said...
Rather than a child who 'looks like a child' -- a bit of baby fat, say -- they picked a child actress with features that match closest to an adult form of beauty.

Heh, daddy's little 'wet dream'?; 2/3/17, 7:47 AM
Curious George said...: "Bill R said...
That is awesome. Well done. Great find Prof. Althouse."

Not Althouse, but Paul Zrimsek in the Sleeping Tree Cafe post:

Paul Zrimsek said...
Another entry in the How You Got Trump file, from The Truth About Cars.

2/2/17, 10:14 PM

At least I think that's where she saw it. Maybe not. She didn't cite Paul which she would generally do.; 2/3/17, 7:49 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: The funniest thing about this overwrought analysis is that this idiot admits that he owns an Audi - what a fucking pussy. I drive American.; 2/3/17, 7:54 AM
lonetown said...: Ah the equal pay shibboleth.

apparently it will never go away

I don't know why this lyric popped in my mind..

juked with a baby octopus and spewed upon with creamed corn; 2/3/17, 7:55 AM
Fernandinande said...: Gosh, it's almost like advertisers are trying to influence people!

FWIW, Audi board members are all stale pale males.; 2/3/17, 7:55 AM
Scott M said...: My youngest son is seven and I monitor his media intake as much as I did for his two older sisters when they were seven. The dearth of good roll models for a seven-year-old boy in our culture is real. The glut of good roll models my daughters had to pick from simply makes the lack for my son more stark.; 2/3/17, 8:06 AM
David said...: I didn't come within a million miles of the detailed analysis, but I instinctively disliked the ad.; 2/3/17, 8:07 AM
Scott M said...: But notice, nothing about physical exertion, necessary strength or market supply and demand.

Isn't that handled by the (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, sales, or revenue?; 2/3/17, 8:09 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Scott McGlasson said...
The dearth of good roll models for a seven-year-old boy in our culture is real.

Pretty sure that's the role of the father.; 2/3/17, 8:10 AM
SayAahh said...: Audi got their money worth. An ad micro dissected and now discussed.; 2/3/17, 8:20 AM
William said...: I get the 1982 vibe. I think the ad is aimed at the women who were little girls in 1982 and can now afford to buy an Audi. Women can now participate in the status race instead of just being cheerleaders for the men......Any woman who makes enough to buy an Audi has overcome obstacles and boundaries that no man has ever been hobbled and confined by. Such a woman deserves a reward, and what better reward than an Audi. Buy an Audi and make your Daddy proud.; 2/3/17, 8:22 AM
rehajm said...: Also: Advertising experts believe women are the predominant decision makers in the household car buying experience.

When you are trying to sell cars to women it helps to think a little like Scott Adams and a little like rhhardin.; 2/3/17, 8:30 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: At the Audi Advertising Meeting…

“Okay, I put out the casting call. Hot young women to drive the car. We’ll have photos to review in the morning.”

“Uh, maybe we need to be concerned about not seeing sexist.”

“It’s worse than that: people will think we are Nissan or something.”

‘But we need sex, guys. Audi IS sex. And sex without hot women is, well… gay.”

“Suburu already has the market in gay. Especially the lesbians.”

“How about we try some ‘female-empowerment’ thing? You know: chicks have come a long way.”

“So a hot office worker leaves work for the day and gets in her Audi?”

“Yeah, she can be carrying files, like she is so important she still has work to finish at home.”

“Uh, guys, that still puts us in the ‘hot women’ category. We need to think bigger.”

“I got it! How about a young girl? She could symbolize the Strong Woman of Tomorrow.”

“I LIKE it! Of course, she can’t look TOO much like a young girl. Maybe a young girl who looks like she’s already almost a Hot Chick.”

“Perfect! And she can be doing something with her Dad!”

“Her RICH Dad.”

“Of course! Let’s keep the mother out of it, though.”

“Yeah: mothers equals minivans. American-made minivans.”

“Yeah. And by leaving out the mother it could be seen as she is really just a step-daughter. It is OK to lust after a step-daughter.”

“It’s OK to lust after a step-daughter?”

“Oh yeah. I have two step-daughters. One’s OK, but the other is Hot.”

“Okay…”

“Yeah: I’ve ‘accidentally’ walked into the bathroom while she’s taking a shower. Nice ass. Young. Firm.”

“Do we SHOW the young girl in the shower? I mean in the tasteful “shoulders-up / thighs-down” way?”

“Nah. Too obvious. Trust me: the men we have in mind will get it, no problem.”

“Okay, so: young child that can be seen as a Hot Chick, but with deniability.”

“We didn’t MEAN that.”

“Of course we didn’t. The people who come up with that criticism are the sick ones.”

“Perfect! I’ll get started on the casting. Do we want budding breasts?”

“Let’s see all kinds. But white.”

“White. Of course.”

“And blonde.”

“Obviously…”

I am Laslo.; 2/3/17, 8:32 AM
Larry J said...: KJE said...
I'm going to tell my kid that the person who does more is worth more.

And the person who does less is worth less.

It really isn't a matter of doing more or less that determines value. Everything, including our labor, is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. While there are things I can do for myself, when it comes to skilled labor, I'm willing to pay quite a bit to have it done by a competent professional. As for the labors of SJWs and Women's Studies majors, not so much.; 2/3/17, 8:35 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Blogger Scott McGlasson said...
. . .
Isn't that handled by the (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, sales, or revenue?

That's for people who earn commissions or bonuses.; 2/3/17, 8:41 AM
Susan said...: My dad told me that if I wanted a ten-speed bike I could get a job and buy my own. Same thing he told my brothers. So I babysat for fifty cents an hour. My brothers mowed lawns.

They made a lot more than fifty cents an hour. But I like little kids and I wasn't strong enough to run our push mower. Also, I kept spending my money on books. So I never did get a bike.

I guess it was the patriarchy holding me down.; 2/3/17, 8:49 AM
William said...: Is there any area of public life in which people are more wary of and cynical about than car commercials?........Maybe beer commercials. I have never understood why extremely hot women are attracted to men who drink expensive beer.; 2/3/17, 8:49 AM
sunsong said...: Equal pay for women would help the middle class probably as much as anything!; 2/3/17, 8:54 AM
Birkel said...: sunsong:
Your incomprehension made me sad. Why must you persist in trying to prove stereotypes correct?; 2/3/17, 8:59 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Blogger sunsong said...
Equal pay for women would help the middle class probably as much as anything!
Equal pay for equal work has been the law since 1965, Sunsong. Get with the program.; 2/3/17, 9:01 AM
buwaya said...: Women were non-participants in the status race?
That seems contrary to human nature.
Whatever men make, its women that spend it, on everything from Whole Foods to Audis to San Francisco houses, all for the sake of status, and so it has always been.

Men make, women spend.

It would be difficult to get a complete picture of the balance of spending between men and women, so much of it being based on non-explicit decision making on shared matters like the selection of homes, but the divergence is certainly extreme, and easily demonstrated in all sorts of consumption subsets. Thats why advertising overall is heavily skewed to women.; 2/3/17, 9:19 AM
sunsong said...: Birkel & Lewis Wetzel,

You couldn't be more wrong! A line from Bob Dylan comes to mind:

"how many time will a man turn his head - pretending he just doesn't see?"; 2/3/17, 9:23 AM
Birkel said...: sunsong:
I'm quite sorry that you are ill-educated. If you need help with bus fare so you can correct that situation at a local library, the commenters here might support you with a GoFundMe donation.

Quite honestly, I wonder why you choose to believe the lies of politicians. I think it's a moral failing.; 2/3/17, 9:26 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Watch it with the sound off. The images are crystal clear. It is good to be rich and beautiful.; 2/3/17, 9:35 AM
Biff said...: Speculation: Audi NA has a diversity initiative underway, and they are requiring concrete steps toward rebalancing its workforce. The ad checks the "we're actively recruiting women" checkbox.; 2/3/17, 9:41 AM
Kristy of Camas said...: The message I got is that your worth equals (and only equals) the salary you can command. Lovingly guiding your children as they grow into functioning adults, looking out for your snowed-in elder neighbors, helping someone else's child to read when you volunteer at school, assisting with a charity in town- silly you, none of this contributes to your worth as a human being.

Nope, it's just about the money you bring in, especially for you women. Which is why it's so very important that you signal to others your status by buying the car in this commercial.; 2/3/17, 9:50 AM
Anonymous said...: Brilliant, if bitter analysis by the TTAC guys. Thanks for sharing Althouse.; 2/3/17, 9:51 AM
Big Mike said...: There’s some great acting here, even if it’s a little squicky with all of the rapt devotion. If you can find a girl who looks at you like that… marry her.

I did. Forty-two years and one month ago tomorrow.

Nice analysis of the narration in the website where you linked, professor. Places where women make less than men for doing the same work do exist, however -- Hillary Clinton's campaign staff, the Obama White House. In the corporation from which I retired last year my former sector president was a woman and about half her division directors were women. Out in the real world, away from politics, the revolution is over and woman have, deservedly, won.

That's not to say that there aren't a bunch of untalented women out there who blame sexism for their lack of career success. Or untalented blacks who blame racism, or untalented Jews who blame anti-Semitism. That's the one big advantage that white men have; if your boss chews you out then it's you and you'd better get with the program or go find something else to do.; 2/3/17, 9:55 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: The guy owns an Audi. A fucking Audi. Total pussy. Why would anyone take his 'analysis' seriously?; 2/3/17, 10:01 AM
Metamorf said...: Oh, c'mon. Could do the same "analysis" with virtually any life-style commercial for virtually anything. Ending with the obligatory virtue-signalling -- look how I'm so much more "woke" than those Audi/ad people -- only underlines its recycled self-righteousness. Could have been written by the guy in the ad.; 2/3/17, 10:10 AM
Bill said...: I haven't had this much fun since I read Camille Paglia's analysis of Hitchcock's The Birds, published by the British Film Institute about 15 years ago. Like La Paglia, Jack Baruth misses nothing.; 2/3/17, 10:11 AM
Susan said...: "Men make, women spend."
_______

You know, you are right. I did eventually get a bike. My husband bought me one for Christmas one year.

So I did get a bike without having to mow a single lawn.; 2/3/17, 10:34 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Nope, it's just about the money you bring in, especially for you women. Which is why it's so very important that you signal to others your status by buying the car in this commercial.

Yes, this. I have four daughters and no one in their worlds tells them either A. the lie that they will be paid less than men for equal work and B. that their worth is determined by how much money they make someday.

We tell them the non-lies that

--their worth is immeasurable and non-negotiable because they are adored by their Creator and treasured by their families

--their future earning power is determined by their choices (effort, education, effective use of opportunities)

--nice possessions such as Audis are fun to have but ultimately they are just things and things don't matter; 2/3/17, 10:39 AM
Bill Peschel said...: They could have just copped a line from Nick Danger, Third Eye:

BRADSHAW

Danger, I'll never know how you do it. I was sure I had the goods on you this time.

NICK

Well, Bradshaw, it's like in the Army, you know the great Prince issues commands, founds states, vests families with fiefs, inferior people should not be employed.; 2/3/17, 10:48 AM
Lyle said...: I will not be buying Audi. Bad inside and out.; 2/3/17, 10:54 AM
Henry said...: Interesting to watch the Audi ad in comparison to this old Hummer ad.

Also a soapbox derby. Also a plucky kid.

But the sell message is slightly different. Here, it is the tame kids in their look-alike cars who get beat. The winner is the blue-collar kid who makes his own car -- as well as his own rules. And who listens to The Who.

And there are no adults around. The Audi ad is about rewarding yourself for being a grownup. The Hummer ad is about being a kid again.

Different target audiences.; 2/3/17, 11:02 AM
n.n said...: Kristy Camas:

The message I got is that your worth equals (and only equals) the salary you can command. Lovingly guiding your children as they grow into functioning adults, looking out for your snowed-in elder neighbors, ...

Exactly. It's the class conflict that lies beneath the good intentions. There is a question of cause and effect, but it seems the latter exploited the former for political progress, and the capitalists adapted to meet the demands of the emerging market.; 2/3/17, 11:10 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: "The Audi ad is about rewarding yourself for being a grownup. The Hummer ad is about being a kid again. Different target audiences."

Basically my point earlier. The Audi Target Audience is for men who want to fuck their step-daughters.

I am Laslo.; 2/3/17, 11:18 AM
Scott M said...: Pretty sure that's the role of the father.

ARM...reading comprehension isn't your strong suite. Stick to typing "pussy" every other post.; 2/3/17, 11:23 AM
Scott M said...: Men make, women spend.

Maybe for the Boomers and earlier, but that hasn't been true since Gen X started having kids. Sharing the housework, sharing the child-rearing, sharing the bill paying and discretionary funds because both people typically work.; 2/3/17, 11:26 AM
mockturtle said...: When Audi committed to this ad Hillary was going to be president.

Exactly.; 2/3/17, 11:29 AM
YoungHegelian said...: A much kinder father-daughter car ad.; 2/3/17, 11:29 AM
mockturtle said...: "Men make, women spend."

Hasn't been that way for a loooooong time. And who buys the 'big toys'? Boats, ATVs, Harleys...?; 2/3/17, 11:31 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Scott McGlasson said...
reading comprehension

You quite clearly complained about some third party when the key responsibility to act as a role model is yourself.; 2/3/17, 11:44 AM
SoLastMillennium said...: It is fun seeing how many people are deconstructing ads. Who they think the customer is, what they think their customer likes, etc. Even just noting the music played, and checking when it was popular, can tell at least the age of the target market.

As for Audi, they have a history. When this played many thought it was parody. Also note it was for a "clean Diesel".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml54UuAoLSo; 2/3/17, 12:06 PM
CWJ said...: "...what a fucking pussy. I drive American."

Wow ARM! Which one - Pacer, Rambler, Matador? I had a '69 Rebel.; 2/3/17, 1:13 PM
Scott M said...: You quite clearly complained about some third party when the key responsibility to act as a role model is yourself.

Wrong. I clearly stated that this post was about media intake. I compared what was available for my daughters, ie, strong female role models, versus what is available for my son.

I will always strive to be a good role model, but I'm still a population of one. Likely I'll have the greatest impact on him despite what's going on in our society, but ignoring the effect it has on young boys is willful blindness.

The girls had their mother, a very strong female role model, but they were also inundated with tons more from the culture at large. That's what the post was about. I suspect you know this and are just choosing to be a prick about it.; 2/3/17, 1:23 PM
Joe said...: I long ago told my daughters to never buy an Audi. Will tell my granddaughters the same.; 2/3/17, 1:35 PM
Joe said...: Message from Audi: your worth as a human being is how much you have in your bank account and what's printed on your paycheck.; 2/3/17, 1:38 PM
Toad said...: "Hasn't been that way for a loooooong time. And who buys the 'big toys'? Boats, ATVs, Harleys...?"

Divorced guys.

Seriously, take a walk through a mall, upscale retail area, or wine bar at 2pm on a weekday. Virtually no men but lots of well dressed women spending money, money they more than likely did not make since they have lots of free time on a weekday afternoon. The times have not really changed that much. Not much at all.; 2/3/17, 2:00 PM
mockturtle said...: Men don't shop at malls.; 2/3/17, 2:25 PM
Jon Ericson said...: Bill P:
LT BRADSHAW

All right, hold it right where you are! I'm Lieutenant Bradshaw with a piece of advice for you. Now, here in the studio it's all knuckles and know how. But when that red light goes off, I'm just plain Harry Aames: citizen, weekend father. (background – “See ya tomorrow.” “Goodnight, Harry” “Bye Harry”) Now take a tip from a cop who does; radio work can be just as dirty and exciting as hunting down public enemy Number One. So when I get home, my old lady knows what I need, and how! A warm, heaping bowl full of Loosener's Castor Oil Flakes—with real glycerin vibrafoam! It doesn't just wash your mouth out—it cleans the whole system, right on down the line! So, come on you little rookies! Tell your mom to get on it, and do it everyday! Just remember what the guys down at the precinct-house sing...

MEN

(singing) Oooooohhhh... It ain't no use if you ain't got the boost, the boost you get from Looseners! Loooooooooooooo-snerrrrrrrz!

ANNOUNCER

...the all weather breakfast! (organ) And now we return you to Act Three of Nick Danger, Third Eye! (organ fwah); 2/3/17, 2:27 PM
Michael K said...: The video appears to have been disabled.I wonder why ?; 2/3/17, 2:43 PM
L Day said...: I made a good living selling Audis. Nice luxury cars for our Montana weather, though the cost of ownership is a bit high after the fairly long warranty period is out. You meet some tough negotiators when you sell cars for a living. I closed some difficult deals by assuring my customer that I would be there for them if, for any reason, they needed an ally in the dealership. I'm glad to be retired though. Fly fishing, hiking and skiing is a lot more fun than selling cars. :); 2/3/17, 2:46 PM
Joe said...: Does Audi Sport (their factory racing teams) currently have any female drivers on their roster? I know they did in the past, but couldn't find any now.; 2/3/17, 2:48 PM
Unknown said...: I'm kind of hurt at being called a pussy just because I owned an Audi.

I raced in the Camaro-Mustang-Challenge roadrace series. Does actually racing an open-piped five-liter Mustang help make up for owning an Audi at one point?

Tough crowd!; 2/3/17, 2:55 PM
Michael said...: I am so happy to see that Audi is committed to equal pay for women. I too am committed to that and to the end of the progressive movement and gto the end of being lectured to by beta fucking males with their fucking beta concerned voices talking about how great they are with their daughters. I owned an Audi 100 back in the day. Repairs out paced the actual cost of the car. Great when it worked.; 2/3/17, 3:06 PM
Joe said...: I raced in the Camaro-Mustang-Challenge roadrace series. Does actually racing an open-piped five-liter Mustang help make up for owning an Audi at one point?

No.; 2/3/17, 3:07 PM
Michael said...: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/02/real-message-behind-audis-super-bowl-ad-isnt-exactly-uplifting-one/; 2/3/17, 3:11 PM
Chris said...: I'm curious how Audi stacks up in the flawed "aggregate women's earnings" v. "aggregate men's earnings" comparison. C'mon, Audi, show us how progressive you really are.; 2/3/17, 3:12 PM
SukieTawdry said...: I watched without sound and saw a girl winning a soap box derby race in a field dominated by boys. It appears the rules weren't different for her and I presume whatever the prize was, she got it and not something lesser. So, in the absence of narration, the point, whatever it is, is lost on me. And so is the sales pitch.; 2/3/17, 3:22 PM
Gospace said...: EDH said...
Laslo's coorect.

"Equal pay for equal work" will no longer be the loadstar in Massachusetts.

It's "comparable work."

I notice that the criteria doesn't include 24/7 shift work, and you have to show up, and can't leave until relieved. I don't know the actual number, but the percentage of boiler operators/stationary engineers who are women has got to be below 1%. In the last 22 years out of 5 workplaces, I've worked with one. She's no longer one; lasted about 4 years. But based on my experience with the one and stories from others who've worked with the occasional woman in the field, the percentage of woman working in the field willing to come in for unscheduled overtime because someone called in sick is essentially zero. Where's the comparable
white collar job?; 2/3/17, 3:45 PM
buwaya said...: Every survey out there for the last few decades, and every current one I can find has women doing the spending (vastly so, 85% of consumer purchases is cited regularly) across all major segments.
I suspect this has been true since ancient times, de facto.
Baby Boomers vs Gen X doesn't seem to signify.; 2/3/17, 3:54 PM
buwaya said...: " Where's the comparable white collar job?"

Nurse. I don't know if that counts as white collar though.; 2/3/17, 3:55 PM
Martin said...: Otto at 7:30 am is correct about the ad targeting an audience, but he doesn't complete the thought. Why does Audi believe that the way to target that audience is not to show them in a good light, having fun and adventures in their beautiful new Audi, but to contrast them with the vicious, nasty brutes who are the rest of the country, and the Audi, itself, is barely an afterthought?

Audi and its agency clearly believe that their target market defines itself as being superior to a very deplorable and irredeemable rabble. The people behind this ad get paid a lot of money to get that right. Hillary Clinton's messaging people got paid a lot, too, and her "deplorables" comment was no ad lib. If that is the most emotionally powerful argument they can make to sell an upmarket car or a Presidential candidate, well, that says a lot about our "elites."

THAT is why Trump won, and THAT worth thinking on.; 2/3/17, 4:19 PM
Jaq said...: I often wonder why about a third of the commenters here even read this blog. It's not about the surface of things.; 2/3/17, 4:20 PM
rhhardin said...: My opinion was that it was feminist pap and shot way too dark.

I didn't get any of the other messages, beyond wondering what happened to the buggy.

I'm so into car status that I bought a bottom-of-the-line Yaris to replace my broken bottom-of-the-line 1987 Dodge Colt.

Yaris gripes: very rough ride compared to what you'd expect, and the speedometer can't be read in daytime owing to deep shadows over it. Fortunately I bike everywhere so it doesn't come up much.; 2/3/17, 5:09 PM
rhhardin said...: Soon I'll a thousand miles on it, after three years, but the digital age will deprive me of seeing the odometer roll over from 999 to 1990, which was always a family thrill.; 2/3/17, 5:13 PM
Rosalyn C. said...: Audi's are luxury cars and that image appeals to those who want to recognized as superior. I'd guess the target audience are well to do young female professionals as well as metrosexuals. That accounts for the imagery of the young girl being able to beat the crude chubby poor boys. The dad plays the part of a thoughtful progressive in order to make the snobbishness of owning a luxury brand socially acceptable. The actually issue of income equality was certainly secondary.; 2/3/17, 5:32 PM
Krumhorn said...: What got me was her look right into the camera at 51 sec as she walked past. Any upscale woman will say that's me and I want that car, and any guy will say I want to give that girl this car if she'll look at me like that.

- Krumhorn; 2/3/17, 6:10 PM
Anonymous said...: King of Cars [hardly], King of Beers [well neither is Budweiser] Gaga

Sounds like the half time show may have the LOWEST rating of a Super Bowl in recent history.; 2/3/17, 9:49 PM
sdharms said...: I have been in the workplace for over 35 years in jobs traditionally held by me, so many times I have been the only female in the room full of men. I would say that every man who has demeaned me, not treated me as an equal, promoted men over and around me, HAS DAUGHTERS. I often wondered what they said to their daughters when they told them about the subtle discrimination in the workplace. If Mr.Liberal in this ad treats women in the workplace as equals I would be surprised. Audi was really virtue signaling.; 2/4/17, 1:18 AM
sdharms said...: "worth" of a person? I used to tell my classes that the most important jobs in the world were trash collector and the guy who worked at the water treatment plant. Without those two jobs getting done, we would all be dead of cholera in 2 wks.; 2/4/17, 1:21 AM
Art said...: Why advocate for 50% of the buyers market when you can just keep your mouth shut and have 100% believe you are interested in selling to them?

Here is some free advice from a helpful albeit sensitive consumer, if you deal with the public and are not a paid politician just STFU!; 2/4/17, 9:14 AM
Unknown said...: True, many people think if you're rich and well-bred you buy an Audi. But SMART rich well-bred people know Audis don't any longer convey what you don't already have - the SMART wealthy buy Hondas and Toyotas and let the dopes buy the beautiful repair machines. Look at Audi's lousy resale values v Honda and Toyota.; 2/4/17, 9:17 AM
Roppert said...: I was actually thinking about buying an Audi.This ad is making me rethink that.; 2/4/17, 12:46 PM
wtlf555 said...: I just feel sorry for the dad of the other girl who lost. In Audi's world he would have to explain to her that she is worth less as a human because she lost the fu&*&*king race becausethey can't afford a better soap-box car, or a crew to haul their gear let alone an Audi

Interesting how liberals are so against "exceptionalism" unless you can buy it; 2/4/17, 1:30 PM
ThatOneEyedSnowman said...: Jack Baruth does a great job of identifying the subliminal message, stereotypes, and the target audience of the Audi ad. Here is another video about the ad, where the author takes it one step beyond and spells out what he thinks the majority of fathers (outside the Eloi) would tell their daughters.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=7PL7qHs3OgU; 2/4/17, 1:39 PM
I can do no other. said...: Complete fantasy anyway...it is 2017...you couldn't pull off an event like this. Child painted signs obviously indicate that this is not a permitted event...water and loose hay on the track...CHILD ABUSE! Those helmets are not properly approved by a sanctioning body!

Completely unbelievable concept.; 2/4/17, 3:17 PM
Micha Elyi said...: "Folks it's just an advertisement, not a manifesto on social justice.."
--Otto (2/3/17, 7:30 AM)

"Politics is downstream from culture."
--Andrew Breitbart

I agree with Andrew, not Otto. And no auto of mine will ever be an Audi* again.

*home of the Green Police ad and now busted for cheating on diesel emissions; 2/4/17, 8:26 PM