Analytical Argument Ford Mustang - Assignment Example

American Based Automobile Manufacturing - Ford Motor Company 1. Introduction Ford Mustang is one of the most successful muscle cars of all times. It was first introduced by the Ford Motor Company, an American based automobile manufacturing multinational, on April 17, 1964. It has seen four generations of production and is proudly in its fifth generation of production right now. It had a unique design, integrating an elongated hood and a short rear deck with a sports car like coupe which gave rise to the ‘Pony Car’ class of American vehicles. Overall, Ford Mustang is a success story envied by most competitor companies. 2. Reflection of the American culture Mustang was a perfect reflection of the trends of its time when it first came out in the 1960’s. The bold and loud design was acknowledgment of the rebel hippy culture that was in vogue[Ayl66]. The colors of the cars are to this day a reflection of the strong American pop culture. The automakers found a creative way to incorporate the youthful 60’s counterculture into the rumbling machismo of the Mustang. These underlying currents are vividly visible in the verbal and visual texts regarding Ford Mustang over the years. There haven’t been many drastic changes in the cars design, accept a few, over the past 48 years reflecting a consistency of believe of the American culture in qualities such as Strength and Speed. Example The Ford Mustang came out amongst a publicity blitz with the print and the TV media ablaze with its advertisements. On Memorial Day, in the same year, a white mustang with blue dorsal racing stripes leads the field[19612]. It was a strong visual text for the millions of people who saw the picture of the muscle car painted out in national colors which reflected the fascination of the Americans with strength. 3.(a) Verbal Texts From the first generation period (1964-1973): “This is the car dreams are made of” 1964 commercial,broadcasted on both radio and television[Fir]. “Mustang thundering along far ahead of the pack” 1969 commercial[196]. From the recent generation period(2005-present): “Bold is genetic” 2006 ford mustang television advertisement[200]. “Ford Mustang a dream come true”2008 commercial[2001] (b) Visual Texts From the first generation period(1964-1973): 1970 Ford Mustang sales brochure[Mus]. From the recent generation period(2005-present): 2012 Ford Mustang sales brochure[Sal]. 4. Analysis The Pattern of the Verbal Texts over the Years: If we closely analyze the above mentioned visual and verbal promotions of the Ford Mustang, we find the following results on each of them: In the first verbal example the Mustang is referred to as the stuff dreams are made of. This was the first official commercial of the car, but the point to ponder here is how this verbal text molds the mind of an average man into believing that a sports car is what defines his dreams. The American perception of luxury was defined by the unprecedented success of the Mustang in its initial years. It did not hold any economic significance as it was not fuel consumption friendly nor of much domestic use. But marketers carefully targeted the youth through their verbal text b propagating the idea of independence to live the dream life of adventure and freedom. Another such verbal text from the same period can be deduced by another commercial in 1969, mentioned above, which signifies that Mustang is the car to buy to prove that you are far ahead of the crowd. This is an indicator of the value of competition in a consumerist America. Size and performance became a synonym for luxury in this earlier part of the first generation as a result of which the Mustang got bulkier and sturdier until a gas crisis struck the US economy. The following decade depicted the condition of the economy as people started to prefer smaller more fuel efficient cars. But Ford Mustang successfully created the perception of a masculine hip and happening sports car. This masculine image carried on through the years with the help of verbal and visual advertisements that depicted a strong man in the driving seat or ladies being attracted to the handsome macho man init or a father passing on a Mustang to his son. This masculine image has also survived along with the basic design of the car with which the American people fell in love with. The design transcended all the decades and generations because it was something the Americans could relate with. The idea of leading with brawn and muscle is a promising idea to them. Mustang was exactly that, a beautiful monster that depicted power. By analyzing the examples of verbal text in the present generation, we easily come to the conclusion that there has not been much change in the way this technology is perceived by the general public. The current model is reminiscent of the original 1964 ½ model and due to this very reason, my research shows that it has been the most admired model in the recent years. The same concept of a dream coming true and boldness is still being used. The Pattern of the Visual Texts over the Years: In this context, I have taken the example of the most common visual texts, brochures. These brochures have been selected in two different time periods to analyze how our perception of the technology might have changed or how it might have changed our values or perceptions. But one is surprised to find that there has not been any worth mentioning change. 5. Conclusion From the careful analysis of the facts discussed above, we can deduce that the technology in question significantly and strongly altered the perception of people by conforming to their values. This technology continues to hold an allure over the American people because its fast and furious nature is in rhythm and in sync with the vibrating soul of the USA. It’s all been made possible by convincing the people through visual and verbal references convincing the people that this is what cars for American people should be about, a happy prospect in their fast paced lives. Bibliography: Ayl66: , (Kleihauer), 19612: , (Mustang), Fir: , (1964), 196: , ((commercial)), 200: , (ad), 2001: , (Commercial), Mus: , (S. B.-F. Mustang), Sal: , (S. B.-F. Mustang), Works Cited Art Education. Dec., 1966. Vol. 19, No. 9, pg. 23-26 Haya El Nasser and Paul Overberg, Recession changes the American way of life, USA TODAY Updated 9/22/2011 11:13 AM History of the Ford Mustang. http://classicponycars.com/history.html Kleihauer, Aylsworth. "Industrial Design and the American Way of Life." Kleihauer, Aylsworth. Mustang, 1965 1966 Ford. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1965-1966-ford-mustang.htm. 2012. Read More