Decoding/Decontructing Advertising

“My car turns on Kate Walsh, does yours?”

Cadillac surely grasped the idea of selling their product through sex, and it shows through the recently aired Kate Walsh Cadillac CTS commercial.
The basis of the commercial is fairly simple, beautiful woman driving a beautiful car. It is the dialogue, and who speaks it which is what I find to be brilliant. Kate starts off by saying only a few things are important to the life of luxury, and surprisingly she is not referring to the amenities of the vehicle. She vaguely mentions aspects of the car such as sun roofs and GPS, and skips right to the point, the sexuality of the car and how it connects with her own sexuality. “When you turn your car on, does it return the favour?”
The best part is this is one of the most tasteful ways that I have seen sex sell in… well, ever. It applies to the male audience because Kate Walsh is a very beautiful and sensual woman; her sultry voice is what quickly guides them through the various frills of the car, and then her part ends with a sexy glare and a very appealing line. The other part of the commercial (the car part) also applies to men. It looks very sleek and sexy in the fast paced shots of the aspects of the car. The commercial also applies to women because the sexuality aspect is appealing, and intriguing; not distasteful. Walsh is not naked, or drunk, but driving a very expensive car, quite possibly her own car and not purchased for her by a man. Also, as an actress, Walsh plays very independent and sexually tasteful roles. This image of her (from Grey’s Anatomy of Private Practice) is transferred to herself driving the car, “this independent and beautiful woman driving a car normally bought by men, if she can drive it, so can I!” .
Overall, I believe that Cadillac managed to combine cars and women in such an excellent way, both men and women probably held their breath a little while watching this commercial (for the car or the woman, that may be different for everyone). I thought it was clever to take a tasteful spin on something which could normally blown to a grungy image.


Sexy Kate Walsh Cadillac CTS Commerical Excellent Quality. Youtube.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=p639LPzZ8aI 2 Oct 2008.