The Prius, as we all know, is a hybrid car with a rather crunchy reputation. Since its introduction, almost all of the print and video advertisements for the Pruis have contained some kind of environmental imagery. Some have been quite thought provoking, such as the "Killing Animals for Oil" print ads released in 2008.
Most recently, Toyota released a Prius ad featuring a person made of people:
Nothing about this is ok. Source
The advertisement I chose was a Toyota Prius ad from 2007. The ad, while beautiful, takes the viewer for a somewhat nauseating, sea-sickness inducing trip through what appears to be the natural construction and deconstruction of the car.
Thesis:
Buying and driving a Toyota Prius is good for the environment. Also, Toyota is an environmentally friendly brand because it produces the Prius.
Five Facts:
1) People can make cars out of sticks and other natural materials
2) Hybrid cars are better for the environment
3) Hybrid cars decompose easily (biodegradable)
4) Toyota is an environmentally friendly car manufacturer
5) Supporting Toyota will make you a supporter of the environment
Triune Brain:
Limbic: music appeals to and is processed, the video as a whole appeals because it is a series of images that we work through to understand.
Neocortex: we read the text presented, we are constantly thinking about where the ad is, who the people are that are building the car, and if this actually happened.
8 Trends/ Shifts:
Epistemological Shift: There is little to no text in the entire ad. The video relies entirely on imagery.
Cultural Shift: The commercial reflects a shift from gas guzzling power trucks to "Green" hybrids. This is also an aesthetic shift.
Economic shift: Nothing in the advertisement looks outwardly expensive. The car is made of sticks, which says to the viewer that the car is simple. This suggests that the car is not expensive to buy and to maintain and, to quote the ad, "Why Not?"
Technological shift: The ad may be viewed by many on the computer or on a mobile phone.
Principles:
Production techniques: spinning of camera, location, lighting, and casting all work to create an advertisement that makes the ad seem more like a short film than someone trying to sell you something. The pacing of the advertisement is quick yet calm at the same time. It appears to make use of stop motion, which gives the impression of a very "artsy" advertisement.
Value Messages: The folks at Toyota are trying to put across a message of environmental friendliness and green business practices as a way to make you feel good about your purchase.
Emotional Transfer: This advertisement makes you feel peaceful and calm unlike many other car ads, which often feature fast music, loud cars, and attractive people. The imagery also gives off a very peaceful atmosphere.
Persuasive Techniques:
Symbols: The Toyota symbol and catch phrase. The viewer connects the environmental imagery in the advertisement with the Toyota symbol.
Big Lie: Persuading someone to buy a new car because this new car is better for the environment than whatever they are driving now. It would be worse for the environment to scrap their old one and make a new purchase because of the energy and materials that go into car production and hybrid motor/battery production.
Simple Solutions: buy a new car, support a company that refers to itself as green and you will save the world from environmental distaster. Yay!
