BMW's "Shameful" Greek Used Car Ad

Everybody on the women's blogging network is talking about the BMW ad pictured at the left. And all of them are offended by it.

Our friend Yvonne DeVita at Lipsticking.com is fuming, saying "This ad isn't just visually disturbing. The text is also poorly thought-out. It's for USED cars...and it says, "You know you're not the first." Clearly a sexual connotation meant to depict the young girl as...already having had sex, at least once. This, of course, makes her a sex object, for...the men looking at the ad? It's surely not for women."

LearnedonWomen.com says the "sleazy sexual innuendo is marketing to men at its most lazy - not only alienating women who may have been potential BMW buyers, but riling so many women bloggers in the marketing field, and beyond, that it will surely become a negative blogging influence case study."

So I ask AskPatty readers the same question I ask myself and my children every time I see a new ad for the first time, before the object for sale is immediately obvious "What ARE they trying to sell here?"

The women bloggers have lots of conjecture about the message. Lots of angry words about the combination of sexual innuendo and automotive advertising. Lots more angry words about the inappropriate message implied in the tagline printed in rather small white type across the shoulder of a possibly inappropriately young girl. Lots of assumptions about what it is supposed to mean. Lots of condemnation of BMW for using such a message to sell its premier used cars. Words that include sexual abuse, pedophilia, and sexual predators.

So what is the message? "You know you're not the first." Most simply described "BMW premium used cars are so beautiful, it won't matter if you're not the first driver."

Is it effective? Well, as everybody in advertising knows, advertising is effective if it gets people talking about the product. Are we talking about the product? Hell yes, it's effective! Good or bad, this message is flying all over the blogosphere at broadband speeds while men and women look and comment. As copyranter says  "Sex and car advertising have of course been diddling each other for decades." And Tracy Clark-Flory at salon.com asks whether "Used women are like used cars?"

Is it appropriate? Unfortunately, perceiving this lovely young woman (or any woman, for that matter) as "used," is a very bad and offensive image in the United States. However, there has been no discussion of the fact that this is a GREEK ad, meant to sell premium used BMW cars to MEN in GREECE, where the age of sexual consent is 15 years old. Yeah, I checked it. According to Interpol:  "Age of consent for sexual activity: The legal age of consent for sexual activity is fifteen (15) years." Whispering: Did you know they allow nude sunbathing on the public beaches there? Some might also consider that offensive. I would simply like to remind "Different strokes for different folks."

My son is 15 years old, so I asked him to give me his assessment of the ad. First, he placed the girl's age between 16 and 20 years old -- and he sure should recognize the girl's age since he's closest to her demographic. (I don't want to think too much about it, but I'm pretty certain he's evaluated his fair share of girls between the age of 14 and 20.) Second, he said it was stupid. Clearly he's not the intended audience because he can't afford the car and he doesn't live in Greece. But it's also important to note that all these offended American women bloggers are also not the intended audience, since they are not Greek men either.

BMW has another advertisement starring a beautiful little girl here at YouTube:


Same theme, different presentation: "BMW's premium used cars are so beautiful, it won't matter if you're not the first driver." THIS is the ad Americans were intended to see, and is much more appropriate to its audience. It's also much more female friendly. We endorse this one.

By Brandy Schaffels
AskPatty.com Editor

Comments

[Alex Pappas]

Why are you taking this advertisment so seriously????

This advertisment was not meant to be put up in the states.

It was meant to be put up in greece. I live in Athens, I understand what the marketeers where thinking! And trust me, women in Greece don't read automotive magazines about fast and sporty cars, therefore they would never see this ad. BMW knows that their cars in Greece are mostly purchased by young males between the age of 20-35.
Young greek males owning a BMW like reckless driving, and like most men they like good looking women. BMW just used both and made a single-serving ad that was forgotten as soon as the page was flipped in a greek automotive magazine.
I respect your outrage about this advertsiment and probably BMW has picked up on it and it will make sure that it won't put the ad in any other countries.
Oh and something about the age of that girl. If a girl or guy have not have had sexual intersourse in greece by the age of 18, then they are considered as overtly shy, unsocial, or simply backward thinking and puritan. That girl is 18 years old. (Give it a break)

[Markus]

Quote: "Well, in Greece, girls are considered women with the right to consent at the age of 15, so our perception of "young girl" is absolutely irrelevant in this case."

Thats a dangerous argument: In Taleban Afghanistan women were considered as to-be-housewives, not eligible for school or even university. We didn't accept this for good reason.

Human rights can not be divided to our liking. In the greek ad, PR eggheads are clearly visually playing with extremeley low standard attitudes and associations. As no man or woman is allowed to be regarded as an object, PR like this is simply unacceptable, for puritans and others.

[A Culver]

One other comment about the age of the girl. There have been tons of videos that show how they take girls as young as 11 and "tart them up" to look much older. Now, this could be an older girl with airbrushing, or a heavily made up younger girl. I do NOT however, think she is meant to look over 16. Think about it. It's aimed at an audience where the age of consent is 15. So, likely the "taboo" factor is going to have to use a girl much younger, otherwise, what's the point?

[A Culver]

I guess my first thought was "She's been broken in for you". Which is of course equally degrading. The thing is, culture aside, isn't there a basic "natural law" that applies to Human Beings no matter the country? Objectifying any person, woman, man, child seems to me, to break the natural law of respect for our fellow human beings. I would imagine that no matter what country you live in, the thought of a man of the age this ad is aimed at salivating over this young girl is going to disgust most people.

[Jason Fogelson]

Cross-cultural issues aside, this is a really tacky ad. The only power we have as consumers is to vote with our pocketbooks -- if you don't like a company's advertising, don't buy their products. That's the clearest message you can send.

[Mac Demere]

If they're selling to 54 year old men, they've missed the mark with me. I don't even think it's a turn-on. It's like the six year olds they dress up as beauty queens. Remember Jon Benet Ramsey? I'm not sure how much of a pass I'd give BMW because it's intended for a Greek audience. To me it says, "Our used cars are lame and we're desperate to sell them."

I have a 19-year-old daughter in college. She's beautiful, but also smart: She's working as a reporter for a newspaper.

[BrandyS]

Yvonne,
My first thought when I saw this ad was "what were they thinking?" But then I realized that, as an American woman, I know very little about what it's like to be the Greek man to whom this ad is addressed, and therefore I know nothing about what they could have been thinking.

Yes, the ad is sensual in nature. Yes, I agree the girl looks young. But if she's 15, then she falls within what is considered legal age of consent in Greece.

My son is 15, and I don't want to believe that he could be having intercourse. But I am a Puritan American and my beliefs are probably very different than the demographic to which this ad is directed.

Speaking of being a Puritan American, I had a very good friend from Pakistan who once revealed to me that he would be moving back home to marry the bride his mother had arranged for him. I went off on a rant about how primitive, barbaric, and uncivilized arranged marriages were, and he gently helped me see the romantic traditional perspective that he and his family shared. I was embarrassed to learn that my opinion was not the only one, and that the American way was not the official opinion of the rest of the world. And I am quite certain my friend Aamir and his beautiful arranged bride are living a wonderful life together in Pakistan, no matter how barbaric the tradition might seem to some here in America.

As you said, "women are women no matter where they call home." Well, in Greece, girls are considered women with the right to consent at the age of 15, so our perception of "young girl" is absolutely irrelevant in this case.

If anything, I take offense to the image of a woman being compared to a used car. As I said, “perceiving this lovely young woman (or any woman, for that matter) as ‘used,’ is a very bad and offensive image in the United States. My car has 143,000 miles and looks it (as a matter of fact, so do I). On the other hand, it still offers a darn good ride; even though we both wish we could be as pretty again as any premium used BMW car, or any premium used BMW model.

Trust me. BMW marketers spent a lot of time, money, and research developing that ad for its intended market. The fact that we are offended by it only PROVES that WE ARE NOT its intended market.

On the other hand, BMW marketers also spent a lot of time, money, research creating an ad meant for the American market, which is why I included the link to the video at YouTube. That one is spot on: young girl, used cars, spoiled innocence. Much better for us Puritan Americans. Probably not as effective in Greece, but this is the one BMW intended Americans to see.

[Yvonne DiVita]

Wow, just lost my long answer here.

Ok...I DID mention the Greek connection. I don't think that makes it okay. Women and girls are women and girls no matter where they're from. This ad is inappropriate for any company, but for an established company like BMW, please... Greek Mothers must be pulling their hair out!

Let's not minch words - the ad is totally sexual in nature, and though your son (who is not a target for BMW, methings) might guess this young girl's age higher, there is no doubt the ad is meant to draw in lascivious old men with the $$ to spend on one of these cars.

Shame on the model, and on her mother!

I appreciate your thoughtful post - it presents a more careful review of the ad - however, I maintain that the old belief that "any press is good press" died with the advent of the net, and of the blogosphere.

The kind of buzz that's happening around this inappropriate ad is NOT good for BMW!!! If it keeps up, it could do damage.

Marketers would do well to think more carefully about their work - and who will see it, when it goes live on the net. Again, women are women no matter where they call home. And Moms are Moms... we all think this ad stinks!