“Brands, at their best, and among other things, bundles of meanings, some of them robust, some of them delicate, all of them poised to speak to one or more segments and to deliver unto them an understanding of not just what the product does but what it stands for, how it may be used, for whom it may stand, and where it is located in the larger scheme of things, commercial and cultural.”

What is the bundle of meaning of the Burban? “I care about my childrens’ safety” is one I’ve heard; “It gives me better visibility” is another.

The “need the seatbelts” is a little suspicious, when you start looking at the seatbelt/$ equation (factoring in purchase price, upkeep and licensing, and gas mileage), considering that there are alternatives. For example, the Mazda MPV has seven seatbelts, too.

Burbans have captured some image, some meaning, apart from the high-passenger-capacity. If it were really all about the “Mormon Limosine”, the vehicle of choice would be one of those stretch econoline vans.

As far as women and gizmos, hell, don’t ask me. I’ve carried a Leatherman (or some equivalent) for at least 30 years — until I lost too many to forgetfulness, getting on an airplane and forgetting the danged thing was in some pocket.

Surely your belief that Gidget eschewed gadgets is a failure to segment the market. I think there have always been women like me, who enjoy well-made tools to do their work — but we were invisible to the boys in marketing.

The gadget mocking has more to do, in my mind, with how money is allocated within the marriage. If there’s only one income, from the husband, and he’s happy to spend (say) $200 on a new power tool that gets used maybe once a month, but resists spending $100 on a dishwasher that gets used twice a day — well, who would not mock the husband’s love of gadgets?

The gf is also in love with her Treo phone and tiny Casio Exilim camera. Though all the gadgets are “computers”, her opinion of actual box and monitor PC’s ranges from indifference to bitter disdain. She associates computers with work, not a good thing. The tiny gadgets, on the other hand, are pure fun.

RKleine, I did say “in tiny town Connecticut,” but yes, good point, the thing is driven by demographic necessity, I guess. But do these cars have to be trucks. As I recall my mother could pack hundreds of small boys into her Austin. Mind you, by the time we got to the designated birthday spot (usually a movie theatre, sometimes a bowling alley) her sanity was hanging by a thread. This would make the Suburban the equivalent of the great room, more space for people to be hew to their essential natures, with the less call for the parental task of sushing and tutting (sp!). The “librarian function” of the parent can be dispensed with when kids have vast rooms and great cars to run riot in. Thanks, Grant

Jens, thank you, I was trying to think of the name of that carriage, it is, as you say, a perfect case in point. Here in tiny town Connecticut, they sail down the street like clipper ships, with moms, less often dads, at the helm. Thanks!

last night it was illustrated while meeting with a some friends for thanksgiving dinner in madrid.
one couple came with their new born in the unbeatable swiss army knife for infant transportation purposes “the bugaboo” http://www.bugaboo.com/ – the bogaboo chameleon in fact. my friend was explaining the practical shoulder bag that comes with – this here is where you put the diapers – and here go the bottle… and his french wife was going into the functionality details of that baby stroller in here nonchalant way.

knowing her as kind of a passionate far-left wing socialist i pulled her leg about this very bcbg-ish baby stroller.
“i may not like snobs too much” she replied “but i do appreciate quality.”

In other news, the Simpsons did a nice paraody of the Leatherman tool (http://www.leatherman.com/ – though you have to be careful when Googling for that phrase because ya never know what you might find) at a county fair type place where each arm (it’s a Swiss Army knife like device) unfolds only to have new arms with a range of special fixtures on it (ice cream scoop, flashlight, chopsticks, Allan wrench) unfold, and then other arms from that unfold. It was hilarious to see how many different gizmos the writers/animators could generate in this long gag. That was the height of gadget silliness, I thought.