Escaping “Whatever. Wherever. Whenever.”
Toyotas’ 2017 RAV4 ad brings out a feeling felt by many living in an urban environment; the need to escape. The ad shows a Toyota RAV4 parked in a city with the trunk of the car open, and man in a kayak and water pouring out of the trunk. It appeals to middle-class urban people that also enjoy outdoor activities. The advertisement takes advantage of the demographics need to escape by showing the car within the city and the outdoor activity of kayaking. The initial message is clear; “Living in a city, but still love outdoor activities? Buy a Toyota RAV4”. The USP can be seen in the body copy’s first sentence that reads “RAV4 comes standard with readiness for everything”. This USP reinforces the appeal to people living in cities wanting to escape to outdoor activities by telling the consumer the RAV4 can handle anywhere it goes (Urban or Rural).
The ad uses everything it can to appeal to it’s demographic’s sense of escape. The arrangement of the ad is set up to draw the consumers eyes immediately to the car and afterward towards the kayak and water pouring out onto the city street, and finally, the consumer’s eyes are drawn to the headline that reads “Whatever. Wherever. Whenever.” While the headline may seem initially appear vague, to the consumer it means they can do whatever outdoor activities whenever and wherever they please with a RAV4 despite living in an urban environment, reinforcing the need to escape. The man’s placement is similar to how the consumer may feel within a city; out of place. The framing of the ad is done to highlight the urban environment while centering the RAV4. This helps first to use the remaining space to show the consumer that the car is parked on an urban street, not some riverside road. All of these aspects of the ad work together to appeal to the consumers need to escape and show them that the RAV4 has a place in both their city and outdoor life.
In the United States, nearly every state has its form of outdoor activities, but the vast majority of people live in developed areas working office jobs. The RAV4 markets itself within this ad as the method of escape for the middle-class city worker. The ad pursues middle-class people living in urban environments who dislike constantly working indoors and enjoy escaping to outdoor activities by showing an urban environment in which outdoor activities are possible. Its headline shows the consumer they can escape at any time with the RAV4, and it’s USP only reinforces this sense of escape by telling the consumer whenever they are ready to escape the RAV4 will be too. Toyota chooses to appeal to the need to escape within this demographic because most middle-class people living in an urban environment are likely making enough money to have the disposable income to escape the city life and enjoy outdoor activities. This ad has appealed to demographics sense of escape while also being practical by staging the car in a city, successfully reaching the demographic.
This ad highlights something many middle-class people living in or near urban centers feel; the need to escape. Many people look forward to their escapes from life and the shows the consumer that with this car they can satisfy that need “Whenever. Wherever.” and “Whatever.” it may be. Ads like this play a significant role in the automotive industry and help to encourage us to escape from busy lives we live.
