Remember when Snickers bars were mainly advertized towards men? Well, at one stage it seemed like Ford was following suit.
To mark International Women's Day last year, the motor company announced its new blacked-out vehicle, which was a 'men's version' of the Explorer.
Reading this, you're probably wondering who on Earth signed off on such an idea and if they still have a job - but watching the advert, you'll come to understand why people actually liked it.
Advert
The video begins with narrator Bryan Cranston explaining that the 'Ford Explorer Men’s Only Edition' is a completely reimagined vehicle.
It is designed without many of the essential features developed by women. This includes heaters, windshield wipers, turn signals, brake lights, and GPS.
At the end of the controversial advertisement, Ford makes it clear that the ad was a celebration of women and that 'this vehicle is not really for sale'.
It was easy to see how the vehicle design is completely pointless and the commercial itself has been praised by women for acknowledging their impact on the industry.
The marketing ploy certainly went down well with viewers, with some saying that 'my first car is now a Ford'.
One woman commented: "I got concerned for a second. Slay Ford!!"
A second added: "At first I thought it was knocking men for not using those features, but I like this twist better."
"Alright, this is perfection, well done Ford," a third also admitted.
As to who created the key parts of the car that weren't available with Ford's fictitious car, Florence Lawrence was the brains behind turning signals and brake lights, while Dr. Gladys West created the GPS.
Dorothy Levitt thought up the idea of a rearview mirror and Mary Anderson invented windscreen wipers.
And that's not all: women also contributed towards other vital features of cars, including break pads, heaters, Kevlar tires and wireless transmission technology.
Noting what a huge influence women have had on automobiles, Ford penned on its website at the time of its 2023 campaign: "To support the campaign throughout the month, Ford will highlight the achievements and contributions of female innovators of the past and present on Ford.com and across the company's social media accounts.
"This Women’s History Month, we salute the contributions women have made to the automotive industry by literally taking those contributions out. No heat. No brake lights. No GPS. And no way we’d be here today or where we’re going tomorrow without them."
Alexa, play 'Run The World' by Beyoncé.
Topics: Cars, Social Media
Niamh Shackleton