Ad #6: The Rover 3 Litre Sedan

Critical Analysis:

The target audience of this advertisement is classy, whitte-collar company men ages 25-50. A steady income is required to afford a car like this one. This advertisement appeals more to men than to women because of the black and white color scheme and simple type. If the advertisers were trying to appeal to women, they would romanticize the car and add more color. Men are more attracted to simplicity. This advertisement appeals to classy men because the copy emphasizes the fact that the car is luxurious but not showy.  The overall simplicity of the advertisement makes it a very effective form of persuasion. The headline is very short and to the point. It emphasizes the sedan's practicality and luxuriousness without going over the top. The photograph is also very straightforward. The head-on shot shows the car off, but at the same time the angle of the photograph enhances the vehicles supposed luxury. The photograph makes the car look classic and expensive. The advertisement influences popular culture by indulging America's car craze. The advertisement offers yet another new car model, and tries to sell it by saying that owning the new Rover Sedan would improve a family's social status. This advertisement also influences popular culture by putting emphasis on a family vehicle. Vehicles made it possible for families to take road trips together. Cars made travel a lot easier and opened up new doors for family activities. 

Comprehensive Analysis: 

This advertisement is selling the Rover 3 Litre Sedan. This ad was published in 1962 in Road & Track Magazine. The advertising method used here is the look of the ad. The ad is centered around the photograph of the vehicle, and it is the main focus. The simple headline at the top is connected to the photograph. The headline emphasizes "practical luxury", and the picture exemplifies that. The white space also creates an optical illusion. It makes the car look a lot smaller than it is, which highlights the photo. The copy underneath the picture definitely utilizes a hard-sell approach. The wording gives specific reasons why a consumer would want to buy the car. The paragraph includes information about the actual sedan itself, and also makes a connection between owning the car and social prominence. The copy also suggests that the vehicle is an investment that would pay happiness dividends to the family who owns the car. Lastly, the paragraph under the photo offers more information to the reader in case he wants to do more research about the car.This item would be important to someone in this time period because of America's continuing car craze, and because of society's overall excessiveness. When Henry Ford first developed the Model T, body-style and luxury wasn't a main concern to the consumer, but as time went on these aesthetic details became more and more important. At this time, American's wanted the most stylish, up-to-date vehicles. There are no stereotypes portrayed in this advertisement.