A Hyundai dealership in Long Island, N.Y., has taken crude humor to the small screen. The local Hyundai dealership’s new commercial involves references to the less-valued side effects of male excitement including long-lasting erections.
The dealership’s commercial features a concerned wife and doctor hovering over a man in a hospital bed and uses four or five erection puns to describe the man’s excitement over his recent purchase of a new Hyundai car. They use the tagline “We make good things happen at Long Island City Hyundai,” and the ad has left many viewers appalled by its use of the double entendre. But what is the issue with a little bit of inappropriate humor?
The commercial has received backlash from concerned parents on the Internet who worry that the ad is not appropriate for younger viewers, according to huffingtonpost.com.
Several students at the University of Tampa find it hard to believe that the advertisement is a source of controversy.
“I can see why some adults would get upset about something like this being on TV,” Sam Silver, a junior advertising major, said. “But it’s not likely the kids would understand the humor. There’s no harm.”
There are very few people who don’t enjoy a good boner joke, and those who don’t are missing out on all of the fun the rest of us are having. In fact, Europe has been using sex in its everyday ads for years. For example, a German ad for Leo’s Sports Club features an entirely naked woman getting out of the shower, walking to a bowl of walnuts and cracking one between her buns of steel. Accurate? Not quite. Hilarious? Without a doubt.
Another European commercial features a man and a woman in the beginning stages of intercourse. Each individual begins to take off their clothing, and as the man tries to unhook the woman’s bra, a passcode-locked scroll bar appears. This quirky ad for Microsoft XP aired on daytime television.
People should not be so easily offended by the presence of sexuality in commercials. Europe continually airs “inappropriate” ads containing partial nudity and sexual content, but the continent has yet to erupt into warfare because of it. Sex is not a forbidden topic.
“Commercials in Germany can be very sexual at times,” said David Niepel, a UT finance graduate student from Germany. “I think it’s okay that commercials involve sex, and people in Germany and Europe are very open about it. Here, people think it’s wrong, but I don’t see a reason why.”
Germany has one-sixth the amount of HIV/AIDS cases compared to the U.S., according to Advocates for Youth. In a country like Germany where sex is prevalent in the media, they seem to have a better grip on sex education. Sex happens, so there’s no sense in trying to hide it. Why is America so easily offended by the presence of a penis joke? Huffingtonpost.com said it best: “It takes balls to be that funny.”
In a culture in which sex sells and advertisements often contain scantily clad women in suggestive poses, there is absolutely no reason as to why the verbal reference to an erection should wildly upset the public. Such a commercial won’t put anyone in any immediate danger.
For those worried about the corruption children’s minds, there is nothing to be concerned about. The long-lasting erection references in the Hyundai ad can only be understood by those who have previous knowledge about Viagra and erections. Therefore, only those with horribly dirty-minded children have any reason to plug their ears. Since it is an advertisement for a car dealership, it is marketed to people old enough to purchase a car. As a result, it is acceptable to include adult humor in an ad that is marketed toward adults.
This is the purpose of humor in advertising: to get people talking. The most effective method of advertisement is through word of mouth, and this ad has accomplished that goal. Just think: this ad was covered by multiple news sources. It made national headlines. The attention-grabbing commercial has marketed this car dealership and set it apart from all of the other Hyundai dealerships in the country.
To those suffering panic attacks from this harmless ad, put your fear boners away. Let worries and concerns subside, and take the time to appreciate this ad for what it really is: a witty, hilarious and conversation starting ad.
The reality of the situation is sex in advertising is not going anywhere. Sex is everywhere and should not be treated any differently when placed on the small screen.
Terry Preston can be reached atterrence.preston@spartans.ut.edu
