Now, readers, we've always had a grudge against those who would use the egregious power of a luxury car like, say, a Mercedes or an Audi, to drive like a flaming douchebag. That's why the new Acura ad had us genuinely interested...until the end. When they basically endorsed that kind of behavior.
The cello music in the background (apparently an original score just for the commercial), the dark color palette, and the effects used were all pretty unique. They even had a good basic idea. Everything flows quite smoothly until the announcer starts talking: "It works with cars. It works with people. Acura; aggression in its most refined form."
On the surface this may not seem like an endorsement of douche-like behavior. But look just a little closer. Aggression. What crowd are they marketing that idea to? The people who can afford an Acura, meaning upper-middle to upper class. Probably predominantly connected to the field of business in some way. The people selling this car are pairing the ideals of wealth and luxury with aggression, and thereby attaching to it a positive connotation.
Granted, this happens on a very subconscious level, but neither is it an accident that the voiceover is worded in that way. It speaks to the fact that a cutthroat demeanor is still seemingly prized as the trait of a successful person as conventionally defined in mainstream American culture. In turn, people in that echelon of society, thinking it a mark of status, begin to act in a selfish, almost anti-social way. These same people then buy luxury cars, like Acuras, and cut us off on the 405. See? It all comes full circle.
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