How to sell pickup trucks to the masses

[librarian]

I accept that the people who contrive these things are the intellectual dregs of society, but where are their little heads taking them?

I suspect that they are trying to push the boundaries of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and are reinventing self-actualisation. Given that cars=bad in so many ways these days, the need to realise personal potential, self-fulfillment, personal growth etc can't be achieved any more by driving fast along a burning field (or take it back a decade and pop a sexy bikinied chick on the bonnet) - or possibly by driving at all. So the ad wonks turn the car into a skateboard. Or they tell you to go "NightDriving" (VW ad? see posts passim).

Those same ad wonks recognise that not all of society has reached the pinnacle of Mr Maslow's hierarchical triangle, so there is still an appeal out there, to those with self-esteem issues, for a vehicle[1] which tells other remaining road users to eff off out of their way (referring to the OP).

QED

[1] Of course, in real life it's not the vehicle but the driver doing this.