Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
From the manufacturer
of happy drivers.
Skoda Yeti wins
Car of the Year 2010.
Superb.
(Oh, that won best family and estate car).
Come and see our award-winning range at your local
Skoda retailer or visit skoda.co.uk
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CAR Of THE YEAR
BEST CROSSOVER CAR
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In what ways are images of a rugged riverbed and forested valley slopes used to sell the vehicle? Both
suggest the challenge and excitement of being 'off-road' in an environment that normal vehicles -
and by implication 'normal drivers' - could not cope with. This is echoed in the vehicle's name,
which refers to the famous mythical wild creature of the Himalayan Mountains. To say that the
advert is staged is to make the obvious point that the car is being asked to play the role of an actor.
Like an actor, its performance is intended to have effects on the 'audience' (potential buyers in this
case). But, also like an actor, it becomes something altogether different off-stage. Off-stage, the Yeti
is used in towns and cities for the most part, and is rarely taken off-road by owners. Yet images of
day-to-day use were not favoured by the Yeti's advertisers. Instead, a strapline announcing its 'Car of
the Year' status is combined with the almost wholly implausible suggestion that the Yeti might, once
purchased, be driven into the wilds by its owners. One suspects that the advert is intended to appeal
to men with children, flattering them with the conceit that they can combine the practicality of a
family vehicle with the power and strength hitherto associated with pick-up trucks, Jeeps and Land
Rovers. A classic reference point for the analysis of adverts, including those that refer to 'nature' and
its collateral terms, is Judith Williamson's
Decoding advertisements
(Williamson, 1978).
