Startlingly, there were a LOT of car ads in here. more than anyof the other 'women's' magazines, and more than several of the men's ones as well. This is also the only place so far I have found an ad that concentrates almost exclusively on the navigation system, to the extent that the picture of the car is less than an inch in size. this is also part of an attempt at a viral ad campaign, for audi a3 (which i seem to recall hearing hasn't sold too well), asking for information on the location of a specific car with VIN number listed. this kind of tracks oddly in combination with a focus on the navigation system, because among other things it has a panic button and thus theoretically a gps, and so they should be able to find the thing.

the ads are:

• nissan murano, focusing on new yorkers or those who want to be, and on those who want to feel upper-middle class. the tagline is 'navigating the chinese-italian border. new york city, 8:13 pm.', against a picture of the a fake border between chinatown and little italy.
• toyota solara. not sure what ths is supposed to appeal to. the tagline is 'your stock just went up. and split.' which i think is supposed to mean that you got a realy good deal on the car because it's worth more now? it mentions the 'JBL audio system', and in the text says 'never work ard again. at getting noticed.', appealing to car as eye-catcher'
• the audi a3 mentioned above, with the tagline 'never follow', aimed at both individuality and at the navigation system, with the aforementioned odd juxtaposition. it also touts the 'secondary Driver Information System' for heads-up and 'dual MP3 SD slots to allow you to customize a soudtrack for the road ahead.' clearly aiming at women who care more about the media and convenience aspects fo the car than the tratitional speed/performance things.
• Cadillac SRX, tagline 'not all housewives are desperate' this is a totally different audience than the murano or the a3 (i would think), either mothers or stay at home wives and not career women. it concentrates on luxury, 'supple leather seating surfaces', and on the experience 'contentment comes in many forms'
• kia sportage, tagline "attractive, dependable, good withmoney. if it made coffee you'd marry it' again, a different audience, this time single women. there's a of of text here, this is clearly not just single women, but career women on their way up who would want info before they made a purchase: not only does it give all of the traditional performance info, it also mentiones the '6-speaker CD sound system', safety features, and various convenience features in the design.
• chrysler town and country, tagline 'the most trusted minivan four years in a row'. this only mentions the safety features and the 'stow and go' seating convenience, and is probably aimed at mothers (because who else is really concerned about both safety and having minivan seating?) same ad as in Vogue
• Hummer H3, tagline 'even when we go small, we go big' this really is just to announcethe appearance of a midzise humvee, there is no mention of other features than size and their 'off road reputation': they assume (probably correctly) that anyone who woudl be interested would already know their strong suits.
• buick rainier, tagline'dream big'. there is no other text, and the ad just shows the suv and an attractive man.
• chevy cobalt tagline 'it's not a signal, it's a calling'. with 'american revolution' also featured prominently. this is an interchangeable ad, not aimed at a specificaly female audience, and just hasthe basic info on engine and warranty.
• chevy equinox , tagline 'curb appeal'. perhaps a reference to the process of selling a house, and therefore aimed at young marrieds, the ad concentrates on safety, security, legroom, and the award it won from jd power. again, i'd say aiming at families and by context in this magazine at mothers.
• honda accord v6, tagline 'it all adds up to five stars' (across fivepictures of road dangers). concentrates exclusively on safety features, i would say again, aiming at families/young mothers.
• jaguar select edition certified (pre-owned), no tagline. the text appeals to splurging while still getting a deal and to allowing ones-self luxury 'patience is a virtue. good things come to those who wait.' 'can you resist separating yourself from the masses?'

it is extremely clear that the marketers are not sure who they are selling to, because these ads are targeted at a pretty wide variety of women: these range from the older stay at home wife to the young mother to the up-and-coming career woman. nothing for the free spirit, which isn't that surprising.

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