Dashcam Advertisement by Subaru

Dashcam Advertisement by Subaru

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-zDK4wrI4

This video, titled “Who let her behind the wheel?” is of note because it marks a synthesis of Russian jokes, by both insider and outsider perspectives. It’s a viral video that has gotten 12 million views on Youtube, starring a young woman who hits a dog while driving, exits to examine the dog, and then, while she’s not paying attention, the dog hops into the drivers’ seat and begins driving. In doing so, the video combines the humor of a Russian reversal with that of a dashcam video. What complicates the story is that unlike most dashcam videos, its low-tech aesthetics are a sham – what begins looking like a homemade video by the end is revealed to be an ad by Subaru, a Japanese car company. Thus an outsider is selling cars to Russia by using a meme that is used to sell Russia to the outside world.

Фролова, Екатерина. "Кто пустил ее за руль?." . Youtube, 23 April 2014. Web. 5 May 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-zDK4wrI4>.

April 23 2014(?)