And while we're on the subject of the place of the American car in the American psyche, here's a terrific Cadillac commercial courtesy of Ace:
It won't do to try to make the ad make sense, but it's very effective if you let that part go. The important thing to remember is: effete Frenchmen wouldn't understand. And it's electric, baby.
And while the ad also mentions the place of actual work in the American psyche, there was an American tire manufacturer executive who took a similarly dim view of the French "work" ethic in a letter to the French government turning down their kind offer to sell him a failing Goodyear tire manufacturing plant.
ReplyDelete“Sir, your letter says you want Titan to start a discussion. How stupid do you think we are? Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tires. What does the crazy union have? It has the French government.
“You can keep your so-called workers. Titan is not interested in the Amiens factory.”
The full letter can be read here.
An entirely funny and effective ad, and much of its effectivieness is from its accuracy. And its backhanded hint of how expensive Cadillacs still are.
Eric Hines
The MSRP on that new Cadillac is "from $75,000," which is about one and a half times the average American's wages. So the average Frenchman gets August off but has to do without a Cadillac; the average American gets two weeks off and also has to do without a Cadillac.
ReplyDeleteWhich is fine with me, really. I'd rather have a 4x4 and a motorcycle, the combined cost of which remains much less than $75,000.
Well, Cadillacs were never really for the 'average' American.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, nobody is going to actually *buy* one of those. (at least new, anyway) it will be leased for 36 months, and then on to the next new toy.
Now, on the other hand, this car might be worth having to work a couple extra weeks in August. If, of course, the trade is available.
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice car. I like that they put in a nod to the old sister car to the Mustang- the Mercury Cougar- with the incremental turn signal light. Always liked that.
ReplyDeleteWell, if I'm going to get an expensive toy....
ReplyDeleteOr this, since I don't feel constrained to stay on the ground.
Eric Hines
...since I don't feel constrained to stay on the ground.
ReplyDeleteMe neither.
Make my aerial toy an SF 260, or a Falco F8L - Stelio Frati is a heck of an aircraft designer.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the ground is overrated.
ReplyDeleteOr ...
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of ultralights, no. 1 on my bucket list is hang gliding off Mons Olympus. No. 2 is squirrel suit flying off a Himalaya.
ReplyDeleteEric Hines