Dichotomy in the Brazilian Automobile Industry Sustainable discourse

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Abstract:

This research sought to understand how automobile culture and symbolism relate to environmental issues in Brazil. With this in mind, fifteen advertising pieces selected from 240 from Ford, GM, VW and Toyota aired in broadcast media between the years 2000 and 2015 in Brazil, were analysed. The research objectives were to compare the message of the advertisements with that of the sustainability report; identify elements that characterize the conflict between concern for the environment and the use of cars and; identify how automobile culture and symbolism in Brazil appear in advertising campaigns to promote sale. The methodological approach is qualitative, the method is document-based and the data processing technique used was content analysis. The conclusion was that in Brazil the relationship between automobile culture and symbolism and environmental issues is one of conflict, in which the first two influence the latter. Thus, we were able to point the need for changes in the role played by the Advertising Industry in the Automotive Industry in order to educate the consumer about the use of the automobile.