This ad might be seen as the rebuttal to the sexy fireman ad.  The man walking toward us on the beach is overweight, middle-aged, oddly dressed, and has outdated facial hair and sunglasses.  And yet...I think he's kind of appealing.  He's got a great rolling stride, and he exudes a sort of masculine confidence that isn't threatening or stupid.  I kind of like him. 

The marketing strategy is fairly simple, I think: they're asking men to recognize that most of them are more like this guy than the sexy fireman--and that they should embrace that and come to love themselves.  Spare tires can be sexy, if you've got confidence and charm.  That's a "comforting" message for pudgy Americans.

One question, though: where's the companion ad for middle-aged, pudgy women?

Credit:  I came across an analysis of this ad at a blog called "If it's Hip It's Here."  That was linked to by this post on the blog "Gathering Moss While Wandering."