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Elder Abuse?

8/29/2015

13 Comments

 
by David Hagenbuch, Founder of Mindful Marketing
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As we grow older, it’s comforting to know that some cultures revere their elders (e.g., China, Korea, and Japan)—they see seniors as sources of wisdom, they appreciate the experience of the aged, and they hold their elderly in high esteem.  Unfortunately the United States is not one of those societies. 

America values youth.  We dote over our infants and acquiesce to our adolescents.  Of course, favorable treatment can be a good thing.  What’s problematic, however, is when a specific segment is treated contemptously, which often is the experience of American elders.

So, if a society spurns senior citizens, what should its marketers do?  Unfortunately German carmaker Volkswagen appears to follow the “When in Rome . . .” philosophy, at least as evidenced by its recent U.S. ad campaign.

The television commercials feature Mary, Josie, and Teresa, the three “Golden Sisters,” who have become documentary stars on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).  Although the three older women are ostensibly shopping for a new car in the ads, their attention more often focuses on the attractive young men who share the spots.

In one ad the sisters ogle the posterior of a handsome car shopper.  As he bends over to checkout a Passat, the women make socially awkward and sexually suggestive comments such as “Year end, rear end, check-it-out,” “talk about turbo charging my engine,” and “gorgeous.”  One of the sisters also asks him a question overladen with innuendo: “What kind of car do you like: new or many miles on it?”

Serious flirtation continues in a second ad that finds the three older women seated in a new Jetta with a good-looking car salesman riding shotgun.  One of the ladies kisses her index finger and touches it to the lips of the young man as she asks him, “What about a deal?”  The theme then shifts from sexuality to senility, as the ad’s dialogue suggests that the women are forgetful and confused:

“We’re twins, so could you give us two for the price of one.”


“Come on, give us a deal.  Look at how old I am.”

“Do you come here often?”

“He works here, Terry.  You work here right?”

“Okay, let’s get to the point.  We’re going to take the deal.”

So, what’s the problem?  All of us do and say silly things at times.  It’s also true that many media, from internet ads, to TV sitcoms, to newspaper comic strips, poke fun of people in good taste.  There are a few factors, however, that move the Volkswagen ads from funny to offensive.

First, the elderly ladies are the only ones made to look foolish in the ads.  Besides being attractive, the young male actors are calm, cool, and collected.  Meanwhile, each of the ad scripts leads the older women to act like bumbling idiots.  The same selective satirizing is also evident in a recent Rent.com commercial in which a film crew surprises an elderly man taking a shower.  Partially nude, he then toddles with a walker across a room in full view of a half dozen young people as he exclaims “I’m wet.”

Second, the Volkswagen ads reinforce negative stereotypes about older adults, i.e., that all are doddering and disoriented.  While it’s true that our bodies and minds eventually give ground, many older adults remain physically fit and mental sharp for a very long time.  And, even if individuals’ physical and mental faculties have begun to fail, is it right to ridicule them for such deficiencies?

Third, it’s worth asking how the Volkswagen ads would be viewed if actors from different demographic groups filled the roles.  For instance, what if the first ad featured three young men doing the same ogling and bantering with a female car shopper?  We’d call it sexual harassment.  The Volkswagen ads, therefore, appear to portray older individuals as harassers.         

In light of these selective, negative portrayals, Volkswagen fails to support important societal values such as respecting older adults and displaying sexual decency.  But, does VW’s ad campaign represent effective marketing that creates stakeholder value?  Or, more specifically, are the ads likely to move viewers through AIDA, from attention and interest, to desire and action?

I’m not sure of the age range of the target market for Passats and Jettas, but I doubt it includes older adults.  Rather, VW probably targets individuals who could be the grandchildren of the Golden Sisters.   Granted, effective advertising doesn’t always feature target market members, but the key question here is whether the ads convey enough compelling benefits to make a younger demographic, or anyone, want a VW.  I don’t think so.  Furthermore, even if there were a clear unique selling proposition, the idea of one’s grandmother making overt sexual advances might be off-putting enough to overshadow such motivation to buy.

So, what’s the bottom line?  Volkswagen’s lampooning of older adults fails at both upholding societal values and creating stakeholder value, making it another case of “Mindless Marketing.”




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13 Comments
Kyle
9/23/2015 06:52:41 pm

I definitely agree that this is single minded marketing. I think that we should be more respectful to the elders in our community. I understand why this ad would get lots of attention from young to middle-age people because it is funny but at the same time it is disrespecting the elders. It is only funny because you would never hear elders speaking like this. In my opinion this is making fun of them and I do not find that amusing.

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Jeffrey Hojnacki
9/23/2015 08:48:39 pm

No doubt that this ad gets a rating of mindless. It is crazy how much a common respect for the elderly has diminished even in the past decade. I am 20 years old and I remember being raised being taught to treat older people with a large deal of respect, even if they were being stubborn or rude. It is easy to laugh at some of the remarks that were made in this commercial because I know it is just a commercial, but it is also important to keep in mind that our youth are watching these commercials and a lot of what they see on the television affects their daily language and actions. I know I wouldn't be happy if someone were displaying my grandparents like this, in fact, I would intervene quickly. That takes care of the societal value side of things giving it a sound "no". Some would debate over the fact of it creating stakeholder value or not. While the name of VW was portrayed a couple times during the viewing, not many of the positive things about the product was displayed, which didn't really spur any desires to further look into buying their product. And on top of all that, the fact that VW has recently been accused of deceiving their customers into thinking they are purchasing eco-friendly cars when their cars are emitting harmful gasses into the air. VW does indeed make some efficient vehicles that last a long time, but their marketing could use some serious improvement if they are to uphold societal values and create stakeholder value.

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Jamie
9/23/2015 08:44:31 pm

I agree with the mindlessness. Not only do these commercials make me cringe when I see them, but it does not make me want to purchase a VW at all, assuming I had the money and was in the market for a car. Similarly, I have never heard of Rent.com before, but after watching their ad I immediately discounted it altogether; now I have no desire to utilize their products, whatever they might be. The strange and uncomfortable sexualization of old people in both these ads is not only degrading to an entire generation, but I also think the dialogue is too overt, seeming clearly scripted in a way that is neither natural nor pleasant. Overall, the mockery these ads make of people society should respect is not effective in the slightest.

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Stephanie Herrarte
9/23/2015 11:06:54 pm

I remember, the first time that I watched this commercial thinking how it was an interesting choice of marketing. I have never agreed on using the elderly as a joke. I do not think it is funny, it does not matter if it is in a movie or on a commercial for a product. It is a bad representation of society, and its morals. Making three grandmas look as sexually desperate with young men is not a good way to sell a product. After watching several of these commercials, it seems that the main point was to make sexual innuendos that would cause laughter. Therefore, the marketing objective was to attract young people, who would find the commercials funny, and be attracted to the product.
Overall, this commercial is mindless because it does not uphold society values, and is not creating stockholders values. A different approach on marketing using elderly people would have been more successful. VW could have used the three elderly ladies remembering adventures they had when they bought for the first time a VW.

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Daniel
10/21/2015 07:49:29 pm

As somebody from one of the mentioned cultures that honor their elders, the portrayal of older people in media in general is somewhat disturbing to me. My grandparents had a huge impact on the development of my character as well as providing me with a link to my cultural heritage. While I understand the intent behind the advertisements (to elicit humor), I am sure that it could have been done in a more tasteful and effective manner. I agree with the rating; this is definitely mindless.

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Allison Curtin
10/22/2015 12:48:04 am

I completely agree with this blog post. The de-valuing of the elderly, sexual innuendos, and lacking of high morals in advertisements is a mindless tactic to get attention from a target market. The purpose of identifying a target market is an entrance into a market. Targeting a specific demographic is fine, if that is the beginning point. A truly successful target market ad is one that not only effectively communicates the product to the pin-pointed demographic, but also has the potential to widen and capture others who are not in the specific target market. The use of ridicule of any group (such as the elderly) alienates a market. That is certainly not the goal of any ad campaign, but is often the symptom of mindless advertising. In addition, if you think about who has the most capital to invest in a market (such as who has money to buy a car), it is not the market of young kids with educational debt or entry level jobs. Rather, those who should really be targeted in luxury item campaigns are those that the Volkswagen ad ridicules- the elderly and older age group who have the liberty to buy more. The advertisements that capture audiences are those that boost up, rather than tear down. The advertisements that leverage crude and crass concepts devalue the audience by undermining their ability to connect with moral values and universal concepts of good. The advertisements that alienate and offend, although they may get a quick laugh from a target market, are those that are mindless and undermine the consumer.

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David Hagenbuch link
10/22/2015 07:33:26 am

Great insights, Allison. Thank you.

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SiEun Kim
10/25/2015 11:08:16 pm

The differences in how each culture treats elders have been very apparent to me in the past. Growing up in Korea and China, I was strictly taught from a very early age that elders received the highest form of respect. The sentences and words change if I am speaking to someone older than me, and the senior in the family have the final say and authority. So it was quite alarming when I moved to a Western culture where many, but not all, elders did not receive as much respect and authority as I thought they deserved. Therefore, seeing examples like this ad leaves me very confused since it is such a contradiction in my mind. Although I understand that this ad doesn’t truthfully represent all of American culture in how it views and treats seniors, such a mindless ad would definitely not help steer the cultural direction in which people respect and honor the elders.

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Joy
10/27/2015 06:41:04 pm

I agree with the conclusions of this post. It is interesting how people in our society today are so focused on being "politically correct," such as by trying to avoid terms that could enforce racial stereotypes. However, ironically, there does not seem to be much public backlash against reinforcing negative stereotypes about senior citizens, as in this case. Although Volkswagen was probably trying to grab young people's attention with these ads' shock and humor factors, I don't believe that this was a classy or mindful move. I am even less interested in buying one of those cars, now, as a result.

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Mayan
10/27/2015 10:42:37 pm

II agree with this blog it is mindless. Seems like they are teaching us to disrespect elders. The children that watch this kind of ads may get confuse, whether their grandparents are to be treated with a whole lot of respect or not. The people who made this ad most likely did it to call attention, since we normally do not see this. Usually people view elders as wisdom people, we usually rely on them for advice. I was born in a Latin American country where people speak Spanish and in that country, I was raised to speak to elders with such respect even the “you” in Spanish is change when talking to elders. Growing up here in southern California, I have kind of forgotten this, until I went to visit my home country this past Christmas and did noticed people do have much respect for elders there still.

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Joseph Luigs
11/5/2015 02:56:04 am

There is no doubt that this ad is mindless. I think the question to ask is why does this appeal to people? Obviously VW isn't going to choose something that they think will be destructive to their brand image. I think it is important to recognize that young adults would find this humorous. It is basically an ad written as if by the same guy who wrote Golden Girls. Not only does it make elderly people look bad, but it promotes an over-sexualized outlook on others. VW is able to get away with because it is with decrepit women. The ad is saturated with issues and David picks up on this evident point.

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AJ
11/6/2018 12:23:13 am

It is terrible that the elderly are treated this way nowadays. They deserve honor and respect for what they have done. These elders comprise our parents parent those who helped raise us. They deserve love not ridicule. I did not see any of the commercials mention in the article but I do agree they should not have been made. I am sure there are better ways to sell cars than to make our grandparents look ridiculous and put in a position to be laughed at. We need to care for those who cared for this world before us. This was a well presented blog with good point for his position. I also agree that this was mindless marketing.

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Jensen Crenshaw
10/31/2019 04:33:11 am

Hagenbuch outlines the ways in which a Volkswagen commercial advertised serves to belittle elders into making them seem disoriented and harassing. It is clear based off of Hagenbuch’s evaluation of the commercial that it is a mindless marketing tool, since the ad will most likely be off-putting for any audience, and even if it did appear as funny to a certain demographic of consumers, this would be a small minority and they run the even greater risk of offending a larger portion of the population. The Volkswagen commercial highlights the elderly in such a way that it belittles them to be bumbling idiots with no real social skills, whereas the younger males are seen as calm and collected and therefore desirable. This is not getting the point of advertising the Volkswagen across in any enticing way, but rather putting down a certain segment of the population for no apparent reason.

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