Used Cars and Used Women
Tracey Clark-Flory, Salon.com
Copyranter alerted us to a print advertisement featuring a beautiful young woman -- presumably naked and lying in bed -- wearing a come-hither look and a crown of blond curls. In small print scrawled across her bare shoulder, it reads: "You know you're not the first." As your eyes drift to the bottom of the advertisement -- and the top of her chest -- you learn that it's an advertisement for BMW's premium selection of used cars. Used cars, used women -- get it?! And, finally, there's BMW's slogan in the bottom right-hand corner, which takes on a whole new meaning: "Sheer Driving Pleasure."
Plenty of delightful messages are implied: Used BMWs are like soiled sexpots -- dirty but fun to drive. Or: A used BMW won't tell you to go faster or slower. It lets you drive. Maybe even: Driving a used car doesn't require protection!
You stay classy, BMW.
-- Tracy Clark-Flory