Our Nomination for the Worst Print Ad in 2004

What does this Honda print ad say about America’s perception of
marital satisfaction?—as well as the advertising industry’s
cynical attempt to exploit every insecurity to sell their products?

The magazine ad in question pictures a new Honda Civic with the
headline “The sad thing is, it’ll probably be the healthiest
relationship of your adult life”. Underneath the car, the ad
continues with more consumerist relationship advice: “You’ve
tried the personals, blind dates, even one of those online chat
rooms. Why? The Civic Sedan is smart, fun, reliable and
good-looking. Not to mention, it’s ready to commit, today”. Then
while the reader regresses into a pit of hopelessness about their
prospects for finding true love of the human kind, the ad
concludes with a wink of the headlight “Looking for a good time?”

With these kind of media messages, no wonder we have a fifty
percent divorce rate.

Source: Marriage Prep 101 Quarterly Newsletter