Any driver will testify that they want to feel safe in their cars, motor oil and gasoline advertisers argue that each product is important to the driver while striving to accomplish the goal of making this feeling a reality. With drivers being put through more and more rigorous conditions on this nation roads and highways, how could anyone not want to feel safe in their cars?

Travel by automobile has become increasingly viewed as one of the safest modes of travel. Automobile travel has continued to increase is a testament to its growing status as the leading mode of travel within the U.S. Gasoline and motor oil advertisers have sharply tuned in to this trend. The advertisers must decide on how to use the statistics to their advantage. They need to decide what types of people they want to target with their ads - the old? Young? Male? Female? - and what values and desires this group may share.

Two uniquely different targets are apparent in recent newspaper ads for Amoco Ultimate gasoline and Quaker State motor oil. The ad for Amoco Ultimate gasoline consists of a picture of the Grand Canyon with the Amoco Ultimate sponsored racecar-heading right for the cliff. The main picture of

What is the target audience for these two ads? What characteristics might someone find appealing about these ads? Clearly the Amoco Ultimate ad is aimed at the younger, faster, wreck less driver, especially the racing fan. As NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) has shown lately, the age of racecar drivers has become increasingly younger. Amoco is focusing in on this fact and using it as a sales technique. My perception of the Amoco Ultimate ad is that it is targeting those drivers who tend to feel the urge to drive fast. The ad is telling them " Be free, driving fast is not

appears to be speeding towards the cliff. The car is painted red, white and blue. The advertisers have typed "ultimate car", with the word ultimate boldfaced, in the upper left hand corner of the page with a line drawn to the car. Underneath the photo is the slogan " You expect more from a leader. And you get it." The ad for Quaker State motor oil shows a bottle of motor oil with the word Re-Formulated stamped in red across the top of the bottle.

Figuring out the rest of the ad becomes a bit more complicated. Why the racecar? Why does it appear to be speeding towards a cliff? Why is it called the Ultimate car? This is the only car in the picture and it appears to portray the vision of control. Why? To operate a racecar, the driver must have total control of the car and that is what the ad is trying to say. While the Amoco Ultimate ad tries to sway drivers to think that gasoline is the most important asset to cars, the Quaker

Some common words found in the essay are:
Amoco Ultimate, Grand Canyon, Re-Formulated Quaker, Ford Taurus, Motor Oil, Auto Racing, Male Female, motor oil, amoco ultimate, 3000 miles, amoco ultimate ad, beyond 3000 miles, protection beyond 3000, beyond 3000, ultimate ad, protection beyond, hand corner, driver feel, grand canyon, quaker motor oil, oil ad, picture grand canyon,
Approximate Word count = 1031
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)