GQ: How are text, image, and/or layout used persuasively in this advertisement?
As the recent innovations in green and renewable energy have made colossal
advancements, companies in the automobile sector are now aiming to gain a competitive
advantage in the electric vehicle market. Text 1 is a print advertisement by Chevrolet that
attempts to capitalize on the inexorable shift towards sustainable vehicles by introducing a
state-of-the-art electric car. Making its debut in 2007, The Chevy Volt seems to be equipped
with innovative technology that can reduce the carbon footprint as previously emitted by
fuel-powered automobiles. Although The Volt gives the implication of a niche target
audience of American consumers, the advertisement caters towards a larger demographic
that are more environmentally conscious. Through image, layout and loaded text, the
advertisement persuades the readers into perceiving the inauguration of their car as a
revolutionary step in the automobile market.
The theme of a revolutionary alternative to conventional automobiles is perhaps best
expressed in the advertising copy. Given the novel technology of electric vehicles in 2007,
the advertising agency portrays an inconclusive leap towards innovation by cashing on
loaded words such as “bold styling”, “revolutionary”, and “radical”. Consequently, the
ambiguous and generalized statements do not explicitly indicate that the electric car is more
sustainable, thereby preventing the average consumer from being able to infer the rationale
behind the car’s alleged originality. Such assumptions are further supported by invoking the
ethos of a national accredited authoritative body, the North American International Auto
Show. Rather than shed insight of how the automobile industry is being disrupted, the
advertisement merely utilizes the weasel words of “immediate star” to deliver its message
of an environmentally friendly car that has the potential to impact the world at large.