Doug Thorley Streetubes Ad
Doug Thorley Streetubes Ad

Advertising to men used to be a lot easier than it is now. From an article on 602communications.com, “Marketing to men has changed immensely over the years. Just putting a hot chick up on a motorcycle using your product doesn’t cut it anymore when advertising to men. The key here is to really dig deep down and figure out what men really want to feel about themselves.”

I would argue that what a lot of men would like to feel is that feeling they get when looking at a “hot chick on a motorcycle.” The article goes on to discuss the emotional heartstrings that need to be tugged today in order to reach modern male consumers.

Whatever. I think we can all agree that advertising has changed considerably over the years. The reason we don’t see bikini-clad women in ads anymore is because we as a society have grown enough to realize that objectifying women is wrong and kind of creepy—not because men have evolved into more emotionally complex creatures. (And we haven’t—the success of the Tilted Kilt restaurant chain is evidence enough of that.)

Presented here are five classic auto-related ads from an age before gender enlightenment. While we didn’t find a picture of a “hot chick up on a motorcycle,” we did find a girl holding a set of headers, which is actually a lot cooler.

Classic Car Ads: Lovely Ladies Edition

Bawdy Aftermarket Ads

Doug Thorley Headers

Doug Thorley Showtubes Ad, Bawdy Aftermarket
Doug Thorley ShowTubes Ad

Forgotten Concept: Corvette Indy

 

Doug Thorley Showtubes Ad
Doug Thorley ShowTubes Ad

Bikini Madness! Five Great Car Ads Set at the Beach

 

Doug Thorley Streettubes Ad
Doug Thorley Streetubes Ad

Forgotten Concept: Chrysler LeBaron Turbine

 

Goodyear

Goodyear Wide Boots ad
Goodyear Tire Ad

Review Flashback! 1991 Chevrolet Caprice

 

Pro-Trac Tire

Pro-Trac Tire Ad
Pro-Trac Tire Ad

Four Strange Things I Bought at a Gas Station Today

 

Pro-Trac Tire
Pro-Trac Tire Ad

More Classic Car Ads

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Bawdy Aftermarket

Vannin’ Madness! 5 Classic Van Ads

Bawdy Aftermarket

Car Stuff Podcast

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