Humanizing...

Sometimes I do not know whether to laugh out loud or shake my fists in anger over some of the comic and outrageous ploys used by advertisers to promote auto sales. From blatant illegal speeding, to dangerously sketchy maneuvers, to the preposterous image of a luxury SUV perched atop an isolated mountaintop. One currently run commercial falls into this latter category when a voice proclaims that "your car takes care of you..." Not coincidentally perhaps, this is the same company which numerous years ago began marketing, through commercials and toys, those cute little cars that talk, have big smiles, lively eyes and clever names. I even bought into those at one point as my son's once sizable collection could attest. Of course automobiles are not the only things to get the treatment - in the distant past I remember fast food caricatures with eyes and mouths, while more recently we have scrubbing bubbles and walking, talking geckos.


This started me thinking about why we humanize inanimate objects, why we give these things human characteristics and attributes. Obviously, advertisers do it as a marketing device to sell products, resulting in financial benefit for a client. So, I guess a more relevant question would be, as a marketing strategy why does humanizing objects work?


I think as some level it makes these objects seem more important, and thus tied to, or an integral part of, our daily lives; the phrase "an extension of our selves" springs to mind. Consider how many people still consider an automobile to be a necessity almost, it would seem, on a par with food, water and air. Humanizing an object makes it more friendly and hence more appealing. After all, who would willingly associate themselves with something that takes tens of thousands of human lives each year in the U.S. alone, is loud, smells, continually takes money from your wallet, is cold and isolating, regularly increases its owner's stress level, all while doing nothing to foster improved health, etc. ad nauseum. 


Humanizing an object or tool, like a car, makes it easier to look beyond the negatives; how can anything so cute be bad, dangerous, harmful, or at the least unpleasant (why else are street in those commercials usually devoid  of traffic). This type of advertisement unfortunately fosters the perception that a car is a toy, a much more fun and glamorous depiction than the truth, that cars are simply a tool, a means of getting from one place to another. Similarly, they distract our attention from the true costs associated with purchase and ownership. So how about it bicycle manufacturers - lets see a commercial showing the true cost of car ownership vs. bike ownership. I won't even mind if the bike has eyes and a big smile.