Source: aol.com
Watch one of the most sexist ads ever that tries to reach women and protective husbands
Goodyear Tire has unveiled the ultimate secure tire: one that not only detects when it us running low, but inflates itself as well.
The tires have an inflation device inside each of them that keeps track
of their inflation and add air as necessary. The innovation by the
Akron, Ohio tiremaker should also save its owners money as
under-inflated tires decrease fuel economy by up to 3.3%.
Although Goodyear is not marketing the new tire directly to women, long
ago it aired one of the most sexist ads ever to hawk a tire that was
supposed to keep little ladies from having to endure changing a tire.
We've got a copy below.
Goodyear says its Air Maintenance Technology will help everyone, male or
female, by enabling tires to remain inflated at the optimum pressure
without the need for any external pumps or electronics. All components
of the AMT system, including the miniaturized pump, will be part of the
tire itself.
A tire that can maintain its own inflation is something drivers have
wanted for many years, according to Goodyear. The closest tire companies
have come up to know are run-flat tires, which allow the driver to keep
driving for between 50 and 100 miles after a puncture as long as the
side wall of the tire is not compromised. Such events usually happen
when a car runs over a curb or hits an especially bad pothole.
Goodyear did not provide an estimate as to when this technology would be
available at tire retailers, but said the timetable would be pushed up
because of government research grants. The Department of Energy's Office
of Vehicle Technology awarded a $1.5-million research grant for a commercial truck application.
Technology that keeps vehicles with flats on the road has been a driving
force in tire innovation for several years. It has become a "safety
and security" measure that is meant to appeal expecially to women
consumers who express a high degree of anxiety about getting a flat and
being stranded in out of the way places.
Good year used to market to this market dynamic much more directly than
it does today. Have a look at this ad, from around 1970 or so in which
the company markets its Polyglass tires to women and to husbands who the
ad was aimed at: The key phrase: "When a woman's at the wheel,
polyglass means more than mileage."
Perhaps it was an ad for its time. But looking at it now, it seems like one of the most sexist ads of the last fifty years.
