On Joy

Joy is timeless. Joy is Freedom. Joy is future proof and starting for around thirty-six thousand dollars and quickly moving north. Bayerische Motoren Werke, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works will sell you joy—it is about time.

In the world around us, blood is dumped out in sand for oil, and oil is dumped out into the sea. Men work for mastery of their labors but never know the masters of their labor. The employer-employee relationship is a broken marriage, but that is no surprise in the land of no-fault divorce. What was once a family is quickly being replaced by “two income providers.” I am very glad someone will sell me joy because it is such a rare commodity in our declining culture.

Let’s take some time to deconstruct the new market campaign by BMW. At its heart is the idea it can sell us joy. But how? To get anywhere it is helpful to know who created the idea to sell joy. It is the brainchild of GSD&M Idea City, an advertisement company based out of Texas. You might recognize some of their other work. They are the creators of the US Air Force’s slick modern recruitment ads. Another client of theirs is good old John Deere. It strikes my curiosity whether a company that sells war can also sell joy and not be in a conflict of interest. I am not a pacifist, so the question is not as simplistic as it seems on the surface. It does give one pause though. Come to think of it, BMW was a company born of war.

Back to joy: the ads themselves are well crafted. I particularly like the “jump for joy” commercial that pokes fun at Audi in a clever way and make one want to jump from Audi to BMW. The ads overall are very positive and upbeat. They appeal to both the young and the young at heart. The cars are a status symbol but also address the concerns of those sensitive about the environment.

Owning a BMW also promises the owner a bright and safe future. One ad claimed Joy is future proof. What an odd statement that joy, or in this case owning a BMW, is future proof. It scared me when I understood the ad’s underlining assumption. It tells us the future is bad and you must guard against it; the future does not have joy. You need a BMW for that. You need a BMW to be future proof.

This seems to be a trend in ads of late. No longer is a product faster, stronger, better. They are spiritual. By buying a widget or gadget you can fill your social and spiritual needs. Spaces once filled by church and family and friends can be replaced by an object or so we are lead to believe. Joy is BMW.

The thing is, I really like BMWs. They are beautifully crafted cars. I also enjoy driving across the American landscape. A country drive is a joyful pastime for me. The ads really do resonate with me as a viewer, but yet I question how healthy is it to call an expensive man made object, Joy? Being media literate means we question meanings and read past the slogans. BMWs are joyful to drive but they are not the driving joy of my life. BMW is not joy the way joy should be understood. This is just another case of false advertisement.