Subaru's Appeal To Family Rhetorical Analysis

“Subaru’s Appeal to Family” America is a car culture. You can’t go to an American movie without seeing a car chase. Americans view their car as a statement of their wealth and independence. Despite the cultural identity that vehicles have in America, transportation is also critical for each and every person to exist successfully in this country. Our infrastructure is based around highways and roads that reinforce the cultural emphasis on car ownership and independence. SUVs have found a special place in American cultural identity. In fact, Americans buy SUVs because they can. SUVs might appeal to Americans’ desire for safety, towing capacity, off-road capability, and performance in austere weather conditions, but the truth is that
most Americans buy a SUV because they want one; it’s a status symbol. Subaru knows that families buy SUVs and their advertising campaign represents this understanding. Specifically, Subaru appeals to the emotions of its target audience with an advertisement in the July 2013 issue of Better Homes and Garden. This ad uses the image of a 2014 Subaru Forester near a forest, a mother and son, the repetition of the word love, the slogan stating “built to hold your most precious cargo,” and text that goes into greater detail about the vehicle, to promise adventure, spaciousness, love, safety and excellence. The ad uses the image of a Subaru Forester near a forest as a promise of adventure and happiness that won’t sacrifice the needs of a middle class family. The Forester is a symmetrical all-wheel drive that gets thirty-two miles per gallon. Not only will it get the family comfortably from point A to point B, but also it will do so in a less costly manner then many of its rivals. Like Subaru’s all new design from the back seat forward, the ad was also designed around its name the Forester. They make an unmistakable connection between the name of the vehicle and the background of the ad, which is comprised of a dense green forest. Subaru uses the cultural association tying the forest to camping trips to relate their product to wilderness adventure, quality family time, and affordability. The Forester is just as voluminous as the forest that is depicted in the ad; consequently, the ad uses the image of a mother and son near the back of the vehicle next to a large stroller as a promise of spaciousness which ensures that the entire family can come along for the ride and bring their necessary equipment with them. Subaru’s placement of an overly large stroller at the rear of the Forester reiterates that the roominess of the forester is without question and creates a distinctive image for families to visualize. This is a very important and appealing aspect for Subaru to get across to their target audience. Subaru makes a very clear statement to middle class families that the Forester is the SUV to fit their continuous family activities and needs. Family activities are an oasis for love.
Subaru capitalizes on this knowledge by their repetition of the word love to reinforce the promise that, if bought, the owner of the vehicle will love its features and capabilities. According to Stuart Hirschberg, English professor, author and well know literary scholar, “the single most important technique for creating [a specific feeling for a consumer product] depends on transferring ideas, attributes, or feelings from outside the product onto the product itself” (2). In other words, the job of an advertisement is to personify a product as having positive human characteristics that endear it to the target audience. Subaru does just this by associating the Forester with love, through the repetitive use of the word love in the ad’s informational text and
slogan. The ad uses the slogan “built to hold your most precious cargo” to emphasis the promise that the vehicle is not only exciting and capable, but safe as well. Additionally, according to the National Policy Analysis, when “viewed in their totality, the facts indicate that SUVs are more than reasonably safe; indeed, when driven responsibly, their overall safety is demonstrably superior to that of the typical compact and mid-sized passenger car” (Ridenour and Peters). Subaru’s slogan combines the enhanced safety inherent to SUVs with the emotional appeal of protecting children, with the specific goal of attracting young mothers to their vehicle. Finally, the ad includes text that expands on the specific details of the vehicle.
They begin by using emotionally appealing text and transitioning into informational text. For example, they described the Subaru as being designed from the back seat forward. This is an emotion appeal to mothers because it is a reference to where their “precious cargo” sits. It insinuates that the entire vehicle is designed around keeping their child safe and continues by reinforcing the emotional nature of the first statement by explicitly stating that you do not just buy a Subaru for yourself. Once they appealed to the emotions of the mother they seal the deal by providing the facts. “More roomy. More capable. More fuel-efficient” (Subaru. Advertisement). These facts are designed to contrast with the emotional appeal of the first two sentences by being strong direct affirmations of
truth. In summation, it is evident that Subaru effectively uses a variety of advertising techniques to express the promises that buying a Subaru will bring adventure, love, safety and excellence to the family. However, despite the effectiveness of their argument, they are not completely forthcoming with the details about the vehicle they are selling. Specifically, the vehicle pictured in the advertisement sells for eight thousand dollars more then the advertised price. Furthermore, the gas mileage that they advertise is based on the smallest engine available. These facts are clearly displayed, however they are hidden in small print at the bottom of the page in an inconspicuous manner. The fine print is not detrimental to the advertisement’s ability to draw the reader in; indeed, if the reader has taken the time to investigate the particulars of the advertisement, it has served its purpose. Subaru knows that families will buy SUVs and Subaru utilizes Better Homes and Garden magazine as a medium for this specific advertisement because it appeals to the magazine’s primary demographic, which is women with families. This ad is an effective representation of typical car ads in America. They know exactly who their target audience is and effectively market the Forester in a manner that will draw young mothers to purchase the vehicle.

Works Cited
Hirshberg, Stuart. “The Rhetoric of Advertising.” Essential Strategies of Argument (1996). Print.
Ridenour, Amy and Eric Peters. “Rolling Over the Facts on SUV Safety.” National Policy Analysis. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.
Wickell, Dale. “5 Reasons Why People Buy Sport Utility Vehicles.” About.com. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.