I watch a lot of sports and wrestling, so it’s unavoidable that I see this commercial at least once a week, but likely way more than that. Clearly, the perceived demographic of those who watch baseball, college football and professional wrestling are blue-collared white men who feel the need to drive gas-guzzling pickup trucks long distances on desolate country roads in which biker gangs travel on.
From the get-go, this commercial doesn’t exactly begin in any fashion that makes any sense. A scorpion skittering on the ground before the word RESPECT just randomly pops up on the screen. What does a scorpion have to do with Dodge Ram trucks or bikers? What does a scorpion have to do with respect? I respect the fact that scorpions have the capability to incapacitate and even kill human beings with their stings, which leads me to want to avoid them at all costs, but I clearly fail to comprehend the connection between scorpions, trucks and bikers.
But then we get to the “plot” of the commercial, which starts out with the protagonist of the spot, driving down a long, endless desert road. In a pickup truck. That claims to get 24 mpg on the highway with a fuel tank that can hold purportedly 26 gallons. Sure, trucks are large bulky and have the capability for comfort, but I’m surprised at how in a such a supposed fuel-conscious society, the imagery of cruising down highways in our pickup trucks is still being pushed.