iPod touch Ad –Nick Haley


Advertisements are used to show what the product is and how you would use it. There trying to cell there product as best has they can so as many people will want to by it. In my case I picked the iPod touch Ad and it is showing you all the features it has and offers to you.
The ad starst with a hit song that’s catchy and makes you want to get up and dance. Then pops up the iPod touch; showing you a 360 image of the Product. This way you can get the full feature on what it looks like. All of this kind of gives the setting of the commercial of the iPod touch. All you see in this is some ones hand touching the screen to show you what all is offers. It shows you that you can listen to music, watch videos, download photos, safari and you can download music right onto your iPod from it. You wouldn’t need your computer or I tunes because everything is already on this iPod touch that you would need.
I wouldn’t say this commercial has a lot of conflict in it. It pretty much is just showing what it has to offer to us and how it is better then the all the other ipods before. I think that would be the biggest conflict in this commercial. It acts as a hero through all the things it can do. I think this iPod touch is the only one that has the internet on it so you can download music right from the iPod itself. I think that’s huge and makes people want to buy it. They don’t have to buy the song on the I tunes on the computer anymore. They do it straight from the iPod. I think high school and college kids are usually the ones to buy and use ipods. A lot of adults also do have iPods but you usually see teenagers with them. These commercials apple puts together are always catchy and make people want to buy there product.

"Bugs want in, Orkin keeps them out"

Everyone enjoys a clean house, this includes keeping insects outside and not all over your home. In the Orkin commercial for pest control they make it clear that they are the people to call if one needs to get rid of and keep insects out. The characters are an adult female, an insect that talks and is life size, and the Orkin man who is the hero. It is set in a rural neighborhood in the middle of the day at the front door, inside the kitchen of the home, in the street in front of the home and in the yard.
The woman is in the kitchen getting a meal ready when she hears the doorbell ring. Confused, she makes her way to the door to find a life size insect holding a pizza in her door way. While eerie music is playing in the background, the insect says “Hi, here are your pizzas.” Still confused the woman tells the insect that she did not order any pizzas. Disregarding the response the insect continues by saying that he will just set the pizzas on the table. It then cuts to a voice saying “bugs want in, Orkin keeps them out.” They explain that they are pest control and it shows an Orkin worker inspecting the house for signs of other insects. It then goes to the Orkin man putting a sign in the lawn and looking up to see the life size insect in a car slowly driving by, then quickly speeding up. It ends by showing the Orkin sign and saying “Orkin, keeping pests in their place.”
The problem is that bugs will find any way to get inside of a home. With our societies obsession with cleanliness and the fact that bugs are definitely not clean, there needed to be a product or company to help us get rid of these pests and keep them out. In the commercial the conflict is served in a humorous way making the bug almost seem creepy like a criminal in real life, Orkin then comes along to investigate and ensure that the house will not be infested by bugs. They are the hero because they pin point the problem and take care of the issue themselves, providing a service.

Snickers: "Do Something Manly"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zgvJ-dS_gM

Last year during, Super Bowl XLI, there was Snickers ad that featured two mechanics working on a car together. One of the mechanics pulls out a snickers bar and pts it in his mouth, while the other mechanic, who apparently either has a cocaine like addiction to snickers bars and couldn’t resist the sight of one, or skipped breakfast and was really hungry, starts to devour the other end of the candy bar. This leads to a homage of the famous Disney movie Lady and the tramp in which the two men accidentally kiss. Realizing the horrible, homoerotic mistake they just made, one of them declares that they must “do something manly” in order t atone to this great sin against the man code.

Now there are four versions of this commercial, three of the four end with them inflicting injury upon themselves or each other, ranging from striking each other with a large pipe wrench, drinking motor oil and windshield washer, or in the case of my example, tearing out their chest hair. The fourth version features a third mechanic showing up and asking the other two if there is "Room for three in this Love Boat."

While certainly hilarious, these commercials created a lot of controversy from gay and lesbian groups, with complaints lodged against Masterfoods (a division of Mars, the makers of Snickers,) that the ads were homophobic. Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese citing; "This type of jeering from professional sports figures at the sight of two men kissing fuels the kind of anti-gay bullying that haunts countless gay and lesbian school children on playgrounds all across the country." Masterfoods has since pulled the ads and the website and Youtube is essentially the only place left to watch them.

I remember watching these ads during the Superbowl and thinking that this wouldn’t end well for Mars. While the ads got a good laugh out of me, I can certainly see why many people were offended by them. The homophobic nature of these ads might just isn’t something that these companies can get away with given the current political environment. While these banned ads are certainly entertaining, they just aren’t right for the times.

McDonald's McCafe - The Intellectuals

McDonald’s recently began selling cappuccinos and lattes under their new McCafe brand. This new line of caffeinated beverages intends to put them in direct competition with the likes of Starbucks and Caribou Coffee. The ad campaign currently in progress, dubbed "The Intellectuals", definitely reflects that desire to steal some revenue from coffee shops. The ad opens in a typical coffee shop setting, with some soft piano music playing in the background. Two 30-something males are seated by a window, each holding their caffeinated beverage of choice. Both men are well dressed and wearing glasses. Let’s call them Guy #1 and Guy #2 for the dialogue.

Guy #1: So did you hear McDonald’s has cappuccinos now? [in a snobby tone]
Guy #2: McDonalds? [He scoffs, while swirling his coffee mug]
[His attitude suddenly changes from elitism to excitement]
Guy #2: That’s awesome!
Guy #1: Yeah!
Guy #2: I can shave this thing off my face [referring to the “soul patch” on his chin]
Guy #1: We don’t have to call movies “films” anymore.
[He hurriedly pulls his sweater off over his head]
Guy #2: We can talk about football.
Guy #1: I like football. I like sitting and watching football.
Guy #2: I don’t need these glasses, these are fake. [while removing glasses]
Guy #1: I do need mine, they’re very real.

The advertisement then chimes in to tell us that for a limited time, one can try a McCafe beverage for free on Mondays before 2pm. The final two lines of the ad are missing from the YouTube clip, but it goes something like this.

Guy #2: I almost bought a beret.
Guy #1: Don’t!

In these ads McDonald’s is poking fun at a supposed elitism that takes place in a fancy coffee shop. McDonald’s is telling us that we can enjoy a fine caffeinated beverage without having to dress up and pretend to be an intellectual. The ad does a great job portraying the villain, in this case the fancy coffee shop. We can hear the smooth jazz playing in the background, and one of the men is reading a book at the beginning of the ad. Anyone who has been to a Starbucks or any other coffee shop will recognize the setting immediately. McDonald’s is the hero, and it is here to rescue you from your mundane existence of wearing sweaters and talking about “films”. The two men in the ad are transformed by the discovery that McDonald’s now sells cappuccinos. Instead of being coffee shop poseurs, they can be real men again and talk about football! The advertisement uses humor to poke fun at the competition, and it works pretty well.

This Nike ad first aired during the world cup of soccer in 1998 featuring world class players, famous at that time, from around the globe. The players chosen in this ad were heroes and idols in the soccer world that every kid, adult and soccer fan looked up to. Trying to reach its demographic customers, Nike decision to air that ad during the world cup proved to be an ingenious marketing strategy, since the world cup is the most watched event in the world. The ad revolves around the concept of Good vs. Evil embedded into two teams; where the all-star players represent Good and a bunch of monster like players symbolize Evil. Nike’s soccer shoes in this ad play the role of the ultimate weapon that aids Good to overcome Evil.
The ad takes place in soccer stadium in the middle of a dessert like environment. Capturing the evil spirit that rooms the field, an eclipse takes place changing the scene into a dark disturbing setting. As the ad progresses, a terror atmosphere dominates the stands reflecting a hostile environment and aggressive crowd that the Good team going to encounter. Fire and smoke are some of the elements used in the ad to bring out the sense of fear and evil dominating the setting. The field or the stadium shown in this ad further signifies the tremendous odds the Good team faces. The stadium is an ancient roman arena similar to the coliseum where gladiators used to fight. As for the characters of this ad, the good team is represented by well known players in the soccer world. Maldini, Ronaldo, Davids, Figo, Cantona, Klivert, Campos, Rui Costa and Wright form the team that symbolizes good in this ad. The players are chosen from all corners of the world making it easier to identify and relate to. On the other hand, the other team is represented by an evil demon creature that assembles a bunch of people wearing torture masks. The ad also features a blind referee that doesn’t follow the rules of the game. In addition, the hostile crowd also plays a role in this ad increasing the obstacles and hurdles the Good team should cover come to win. This particular add rooms around the idea of good vs. evil and the difficulties that good faces. Therefore, after giving the audience a sense of what the all-star team is up against, the game starts with Evil team dominating the game beating the all-star players in every possession using rough violent style of play. At the climax of the ad, Maldini comes up with a defensive play that turns the game around in to their favor. After few astonishing soccer players, the ball ends up in Eric Contona’s feet facing the demon creature preventing him from scoring. A quick snap shot to Contona’s feet reveals the Nike shoes he is wearing, giving the audience of what needed to overcome that situation. By the end of the ad and after scoring the goal, the opposite team and all elements of evil disappear leaving calm and quit scene where good prevails.
The social values embedded in this piece of advertisement are pretty evident. The conflict between good and evil could be seen and identified easily in this ad. It takes no effort to classify the demon creature and his team as the bad characters, while the famous soccer idols as the heroes. This conflict is considered a universal part of the human condition where we come across on a daily basis. Moreover, the myth incorporated in this ad set by the characters, the setting and the plot reassures the idea that good always prevails with the help of a certain tool in this case the shoes. The shoes or the product acts as the necessary tool needed to resolve this conflict. With overwhelming diffecults and the odds facing the Good team it took the shoes or the product to help the heroes overcome the situation on hand.
This commercial appeal to all soccer fans with different back grounds. I think Nike did a good job on playing on the conflict between good and evil and turning it into an advantage in this commercial.

New Car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzPkhOofXVs

This commercial is saying that if you have bad credit its ok; if you go to freecreditreport.com you can still get a great car. And that if you don’t you will end up with a cheap crappy one. re but we don’t know where. They are singing about how the singer wanted a new car but his credit is bad, and he was too lazy to go to freecreditreport.com, so his car was crappy.

He like many others has bad credit, but he still wants to get a good car. He wants to look cool and get the attention of pretty girls in their nice car. He says if he would have went to freecreditreport.com they would have helped him out and gotten him a better car.

This commercial is saying that if you have bad credit its ok; if you go to freecreditreport.com you can still get a great car. And that if you don’t you will end up with a cheap crappy one.

Axe

I picked one of the all so famous axe commercials. I think these commercials betray the best myths. Usually the commercial starts with a guy in between the ages of 18-24. They then spray themselves all over with axe and they become extremely attractive to every girl around them. This commercial for instance the good looking guy is running late so he finishes getting ready in the elevator by spraying axe. Then the quiet not so looking guy gets in followed by a good looking girl. He smells so good that she just can not keep her hands off of him. When these commercials first started I was in high school at the time and every guy started using axe it seemed like. I think most guys thought by watching these commercials that all girls like this stuff and it is reasonably priced. This could betray to guys with confident issues that if they use this stuff that they could have any girl they would want and eventually build their confidence.

Priceless Pep Talk

One of my favorite series of commercials are the "Priceless Pep Talks" by Peyton Manning for Mastercard. I watch a lot of NFL football on Sundays and for obvious reasons they advertise with NFL players a lot more during the times when games are on. The reason why I like these commercials is because it is totally random and has noting to do with what it is advertising for. Also, Peyton Manning is a very established and successful quarterback so this attitude from him is somewhat unexpected. This expresses a humorous side of the All-Star that is not easily seen when he is on the football field.

In this specific add, it starts out with Peyton on the field hiking the ball and then the voice over says, "And now another priceless pep talk with Peyton Manning." Then Manning sits down and addresses the audience as if he was having a face-to-face conversation. He gives advice on how if you want rock hard abs but are over the age of 23 and not a professional football player, it probably is not going to happen. Then he suggests buying bigger shirts as his solution. Then the voice over says, "This has been another priceless pep talk by Peyton Manning". Then the screen shows a website where you can go to see more priceless pep talks (www.mastercard.com/priceless)


As I said, pointless. I find this ad compeling on a few different levels. First off, this add only has one main character (Peyton Manning) and one minor character (the audience). The setting is a football practice field and the plot is basically Manning offering advice. The interesting thing is that there is no conflict in this ad. I also think that they do a good job of getting attention to their website. If you found this humorous, you might be compelled to go online and watch more, while undoubtedly being bombarded by Mastercard ads.

Classic Mentos Commercial

Melissa Crow
10/16/2008
Classic Mentos Commercial


In this commercial, a woman steps out of a vehicle as she is dropped off at an important, classy event. As she gets out of the car, her dress shoe rips right through the end of her fancy evening gown. One woman who is already at the event, sees the embarrassing moment and probably thinks to herself, “sucks to be her”. After a short, disappointing pause, the woman whose dress ripped decides to confidently pop a mentos in her mouth and proceeds to tear the end of her dress off. The other woman watching has a look on her face like “what are you doing lady?”, “are you seriously ripping your dress right here in front of everyone?” The dress lady turns her ripped, embarrassing moment into a “no problem” situation.
Her dress is now a short dress with a shawl, and she walks away smiling. As she confidently walks up to the event, she passes the other woman who had seen it all. The lady gives her a smile with a gesture that says,”Smooth move”. The dress lady smiles back with a gesture of,”I know” and shows her roll of mentos.
The whole time the classic mentos jingle is playing in the background and it seems to narrate what isn't being said throughout the commercial, within the song itself. It goes, "It doesn't matter what comes, fresh goes better in life, with mentos fresh and full of life, nothing gets to you, stayin' fresh stayin' cool, with mentos fresh and full of life...".
The villain in this advertisement isn’t really a person, but rather the situation of the dress tearing at the important event is, which can cause a lot of problems for any woman, but not this woman. She remains cool and shows that this situation is not going to keep her from going to the event.
The idea of the story is what a cool and risky person and oh look, she even has her mentos. I guess the hero would be herself, because she saves herself with her cool and calm personality and maybe with the mentos as her sidekick.
I feel the social values or characters that are supposed to be pitted against each other through conflict are not completely obvious in this commercial as some others are today. Although, it makes you wonder what the other woman is thinking as she watches the ladies dress rip and waits for her reaction. She could be representing the social value of the normal reaction of women to something like this. The woman whose dress ripped fights against the normal reaction as well, by surprising us when she rips her dress and walkss away confidently instead of becoming a dramatic, upset victim. It was a short moment of possible rivalry in social values or characters if the situation didn’t come under control as quickly as it did.
For a moment, it was as if both women were silenced by the embarrassment of the dress ripping. One was experiencing it and one was watching it all go down. You know how sometimes when you see something happen to someone else it’s almost embarrassing for you as well, but at the same time the naughtiness inside you say “ha ha” for a second. For example, if I happen to see my husband fall doen the steps and its embarassing to him then its embarassing to me, but at the same time I just want to laugh. The woman watching almost had a chance to spoil the night by giving a gesture or deviant giggle, but there was no chance with this cool lady who by the way, also has fresh breath. The silly fact that she even has time to think of grabbing a mentos while her dress has just ripped in front of everyone shows two things. One is how the situation really hasn’t frazzled her and two is that her mentos are frequently important to her.
Some of the social values in this short commercial are the fancy, important event happening, the high class dress everyone is in and the personality of the woman whose dress ripped. These are the kind of people who enjoy mentos.

Snickers "Speedwalker"

Snickers commercials have always appealed to me.

The commercial begins with the shot of a man speed walking in bright yellow short-shorts down a suburban sidewalk. The speed-walker is shown in a few different angles walking funny and looking non-masculine. The next angle is the speed-walker checking his wrist monitor, when a huge truck comes flying through a neighbor’s house with Mr.T in the back of it. Mr.T is in the back of the pickup truck with a huge gun that shoots Snickers candy bars. The truck swerves through the neighbor’s lawn and onto the street towards the man walking. Mr.T yells at the man walking “Speed walking?! I Pity You Fool!” as the man just keeps on walking. Mr.T yells “You a disgrace to the man race! Time to run like a real man!" as begins to shoot Snickers at him. The walker gets hit and jumps around a few times before he picks up his pace and starts running. The commercial comes to an end with Mr.T and the truck cutting through another person’s lawn, while yelling the tagline “Snickers – Get Some Nuts!”
The commercial is obviously targeting males. The characters are the speedwalker and Mr.T, the two opposites in terms of stereotypical males. The speedwalker is meant to look like less of a man than Mr.T and Snickers. The entire theme is manliness. Mr.T represents the pinnacle of all manliness in this commercial with chest hair and a huge gun. If you don’t eat Snickers then you are not a true man.

Doritos Ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SO95IO4sAc

The first thing that happens in this commercial is a well-groomed, professional man comes home with a grocery bag in his hand. Obviously he had his idea all planned out because he takes all the items he needs (the bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and a mouse trap) out of the same grocery bag. He begins to open a bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese chips. He takes a chip and cuts the end off- so it is a small triangular shaped piece. Then he puts the chip onto a mouse-trap, hoping that this delicious piece of “cheese” will attract a mouse. Then he grabs a chair to take a seat and sit and watch the action unfold right before his eyes with the bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos in his lap. He keeps a close eye on the mouse hole in the wall, assuming that a mouse will come out at any moment. Once he has been sitting there for a while with nothing happening, he takes a bite of a handful of chips. Right after that is when a human sized mouse breaks through the wall, right into the room in which he is sitting. The mouse prances on him striking the man to the ground and the mouse begins to punch him repeatedly.
The characters consist of the well groomed man and the mouse. The setting takes place in an older set type of home. The plot is a comedy that derives its means around Doritos. There is conflict in the ad with the man trying to catch a mouse and in result humorously gets attacked by a very large man in a mouse costume. I feel that the mouse is beating the crap out of the man for taunting him with the Doritos, but it can be viewed in different ways. The same concept is it goes around Doritos in a humorous way. At the end of the ad a Doritos logo shows up leading to the conclusion that Doritos are so freaking awesome that if you taunt a mouse with Doritos the mouse will beat the living crap out of you.

1984

The ad I chose was this zinger by Apple from 1984. There are several characters in this ad. The first is the girl in the orange shorts, who acts as the heroine. The second is the authoritarian "Big Brother" on the telescreen, in association with the armed policemen chasing the girl, who are villains. The last is the marching masses of bland gray and bald men, some with strange facemasks, who are merely supporting characters. The setting is inside some sort of cold gray futuristic building. These are all allusions to the book 1984, which is mentioned in the final voice-over. The plot of the ad involves the introduction of the marching gray masses with the dictator chattering in the background, followed by the girl running through the building, eventually coming up to the telescreen, with policemen shortly behind her, and throwing a sledgehammer into the screen, causing an explosion and ending the transmission, amazing all the indistinct workers watching it, then the voice-over says Apple will introduce Macintosh, and that "1984 won't be like '1984'" (the book).

The conflict in the ad is instigated by the girl. The big man was having a fine time dictating his masses of followers, but then this stupid orange shorts girl has to go and stick a sledgehammer where it doesn't belong. The idea is that she's challenging the social norms of society and all the bland people who just conform with the masses. She's introducing innovation to the world of computers. She's showing everyone that Macintosh computers can do more than a regular old text-based PC. Big Brother doesn't like this orange business, and sends his thought police to catch the girl, but not before she can destroy one of the telescreens.
The conflict is resolved to some extent when the girl destroys the screen. She's challenged the conformity and showed everyone that there's another way, that they don't have to conform, etc., etc. This is supposed to be analogous to the Mac, by introducing the innovation of graphics and ease of use to the world of computers. They're attempting to show viewers that the Mac will solve the problem of conformity in society and bring revolution and innovation to the world. Apple was obviously very confident about their new computer.

“WASSSUUUP”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmqCKtJnxM

Funny commercials are what people like to watch.  Throughout the years there have been many funny ones that are usually in a series.  Budweiser has had a good portion of these.  First it was the frogs that would say “BUD-WEIS-ERRRR” people got a kick out of them for the longest time, eventually it wore off.  Then Budweiser brings a new type of commercial to the T.V., A catchy phrase that “Everyone” uses.  The commercial starts off with a male just relaxing on the couch drinking a Budweiser, while he is watching the football game in the back round.  His phone rings and his buddy asks him “yo wasup”, he responds with  “ Watchin’ the game, havin’ a bud.” Budweiser’s goal was trying to promote “Drinking a Bud” while watching the game.  Meanwhile another male walks in the room and yells “WASSSSUUUPPP” (the catchy phrase they are trying to sell). Eventually all the males start saying it, while adding another person on each time by telling them to pick up the phone.  At the end of the commercial the two original people talking go back to the game and say “So B wasup”, “nothin’, watchin’ the game havin’ a bud”. 

In this particular commercial Budweiser targets the male drinkers that like to relax on the weekend and watch the football game, trying to send a signal that Budweiser is the Football watcher’s beer.  Another audience it targets is males that like to have a good time with the “guys”.  In this commercial it shows all of the friends having a good old time while drinking a Bud, which is what any group of guys want to do.  The funnier the commercial, the more noticed your product will get, so Budweiser is making their beer known by the slogan “WASSSUUUPP”.  For awhile when that commercial first came out, it was a big buzz; everyone was saying it and they knew exactly what the product was. It was featured on Billboards, during the Superbowl commercials, and eventually an everyday commercial, people wanted more.  Eventually it got super ANNOYING, and people stopped saying it, and the commercials ended. Yet nobody will forgot where they came from as it was embedded into their memory by constantly repeating the slogan.  Now today Budweiser comes out with funny commercials still, but they are targeted towards more of the light beer drinkers, “Bud Light”.  All of the Superbowl commercial watchers look forward to the Bud commercials because they are always known to be the funniest.  Budweiser has put a good name for them selves when it comes to advertising their product.

Blog Post 2


The ad that I am doing is a 1980s Isuzu Gemini car commercial from Japan. The person that posted this commercial also put the song you hear along with it. The song is called “She Moves” by Karaja. The video starts out with a side view of one Isuzu Gemini and then three and five fan out from that first car, but the camera pans up to reveal five more cars for a total of ten cars forming a circle. This commercial does not stop with ten cars just driving around, but then they also start doing tricks with the cars. These tricks are just amazing, and the tricks just keep getting more and more advanced as the ad goes on. If the synchronized driving in circles we first saw was not enough, the cars are now flying thru the air with the greatest of ease, which is not an easy thing to do at all, and especially make it look so graceful. The next trick reminds me of something a stunt plane pilot might do high up in the air, but they are doing it in cars, on the ground. On this one the car flips up from the back which I am not sure how they did that one but it is very cool. I also noticed that for the first forty-seven seconds the cars are all just red in color with a mix of two and four door versions. The four cars spinning together is just absolutely phenomenal, because it looks like they are on a special effects automobile sized turn table, but this was filmed in the 80’s and such technological wizardry did not exist.
As you can see from watching this highly entertaining video the characters in this myth are the cars themselves. Part of the myth is that the cars seem driverless. The cars are the actors.
The settings are the roads, highways and bridges of Paris, note the Eiffel Tower as they drive by it. The plot is that you can drive like this too if you own one of these cars.
The social conflict in this ad involves the have and have nots among car owners. Or the cool and the uncool.
The resolution of the conflict is solved by the cars or the real heroes of this story. For they out perform any vehicle that you have ever seen.
So the myth here is that you will be cool if you buy an Isuzu and that an Isuzu is the only car that has this magical capability.

Piñata Man--Chocolate Skittles Ad

Myth Analysis
The Chocolate Skittles Ad was originally aired in 2008. It is about a Piñata Man, who is assaulted by his co-worker who thought he could get some candy out of him by hitting him like you would a regular piñata. The piñata man yearns to fit in as a normal person, despite his difference but finds he can't escape being a piñata.

The characters include the piñata man, Steven the co-worker who assaulted him, along with a group of other co-workers.
The piñata man in this context, would be considered the victim or the hero. He's a victim in the sense of being attacked for what he is, and a hero in the sense he's still a man trying to be like everyone else. In a way, the piñata character can be replaced with any sort of minority/diverse person who tries to fit in and get along with society despite social norms that may be present against them.
The villain in this story is Steven the co-worker who only assumed he could get candy out of the piñata. Steven seemed to know what he did was wrong and felt remorse for what he did. This could also be a parallel to our own world. Steven represents those who are bias, racist or discriminatory against someone. In our society, those traits are frowned upon and are considered inappropriate.
The other co-workers in the commercial are innocent witnesses to the "crime".

The setting is obviously a usual office breakroom. It consists of tables and chairs, a sofa, books, paperwork, and filing systems...all stereotypical visuals that are associated with offices. Almost anyone would understand it's an office breakroom, just because that's how they're portrayed in the media.

As for the plot, as I mentioned earlier, is about a man who is a piñata. You immediately recognize that he's been beaten by the fact that he's wearing a sling, crutch and bandage. He walks into the the breakroom, and tosses down a bag of new Chocolate Skittles infront of a co-worker. He then accuses the co-worker of beating him with a bat, trying to get little chocolate candies out of him. The co-worker apologizes. Then the piñata man declares that he's normal, deserves to be treated like a man, and is just like everyone else and walks out. The conflict being the fact he was beaten, because of the social norm of what you do to a piñata. The Chocolate skittles themselves are what resolves the conflict. Steven can have his craving for chocolatey-goodness fixed by eating the new Skittles, and then the Piñata man is allowed to be left alone.

The social values present in the commercial, I believe, is for one the lack of humanity towards fellow man that is diverse from us (Steven), and secondly the social ideal that everyone has the right to be free and equal (Piñata man).

Meet Carmen Electra IceBreakers Ice Cubes Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e00z8SE3ya8

The commercial I chose for my advertising and myth analysis is the Carmen Electra Ice Breakers commercial. This commercial starts off with all of the men lined up around the block waiting with photos in hand to meet Carmen Electra. The next thing you see is Carmen with two large body guards. This is when an announcement is made over the loud speaker “Carmen Electra will be available for photos and autographs at noon." As the photo and autograph session begins, one of the body guards tells Carmen “Any problems, say the word!” As the photo and autograph session continues there is a large variety of many different types of men getting their picture taken with Carmen. When some of the men were beginning to make Carmen seem uncomfortable that same body guard was very anxious to jump into action at any moment. But because Carmen had not said the word yet, the other body guard says “chill”. The next man that approaches Carmen is an ordinary harmless looking guy who offers her some gum. Carmen gladly accepts, and pops it into her mouth. This gum gives Carmen a very cold sensation that catches her off guard and allows her to exclaim the phrase “Whoa”. “Whoa” was the word she was to say if she was having any problems. The body guards quickly glance at each other and then they immediately tackle the guy down. Then the voice over says: “Ice Cubes gum, frosted cubes so surprisingly cold, beware of the spontaneous whoa”. Then the camera goes back to Carmen as she giggles while picking up the pack of Ice Cubes gum.

This commercial is showing us that when you bite into this gum you will get a cold sensation that will make you exclaim the phrase whoa, no matter what kind of situation you are in. They are also making it clear that this is the kind of breath freshener that the D- listers prefer. They also make it into a funny situation where the nice young man that offers her the gum, gets tackled.

In this Jimmy Johns mini-story, the viewer is taken to a corporate board meeting. The scene is grey and lackluster. The only colors in this scene are located on a TV screen, which is next to a young man (co-hero) who is trying to sell an idea.

The characters are all wearing grey suits and sitting at a long black table. At the far end is an old man, presumably the president of the corporation (the villain). His arms are crossed; he looks angry, unimpressed and hungry. Standing at the other end of the table, next to the TV screen, the co-hero nervously explains an idea for an anime-like “Transformers.” He doesn’t speak English. On the television screen appears a big green robot flying with “1,500 MPH” written next to it. Then, the viewer is taken to the president’s point of view and we see the men in suits shift their heads from the young man, in an almost Nazi lock-step fashion, to the president, awaiting his approval. The camera goes back to a shot of the president, arms crossed and still unimpressed. The heads turn all at once back to the young man.

The young man tries again to sell his idea by switching the type of robot on the screen to a blue one that travels 2,500 MPH. The men in suits shift back to the president. Judging by his scowl, and his arms folded tighter still, he is still not impressed. The men shift back again in unison to the young man. Again, the young man changes the robot to a red and yellow one that travels 5,000 MPH. We see the president. His arms are crossed so tight and his face is so cramped with anger that he looks as though he is ready to explode.

The young man is desperate. He has run face-first into a wall and needs to please the president quickly. A thought bubble or Batman-style signal appears over his head, and a Jimmy Johns ribbon pops up and says, “Jimmy Johns, Jimmy Johns!” The young man quickly calls Jimmy Johns delivery service. Before the call is disconnected, a delivery service man (the hero) arrives with boxed lunches, like a transformer moving at 5,000 MPH. The hero flies around the table placing red and black boxes in front of each person, including the president.

The scene is transformed. The president cups his hands together and cheers. The others break away from the Nazi lock-step to stand and cheer. The president elatedly shakes the hand of our Jimmy Johns hero. The co-hero puts his arms around both the hero and the villain. The viewer can conclude that the young man’s idea is now accepted by the villian, and the co-hero triumphs. A ribbon concludes the ad, proclaiming, “Jimmy John’s world famous delivery!”

The commercial that I chose for the myth analysis was This Bud Ice commercial. All of the Bud Ice commercials are about the people keeping their beer away from penguins in many different situations. Why penguins? The only thing that makes sense that seeing its Bud “ice” other than that I have no clue. The characters are all of the people sitting in the house, the bud ice, and the pesky penguin.

Now for this commercial was one of their last ones before they stopped airing. After a long time of penguin problems of stealing bud ice from unsuspecting bystanders it appears the culprit has finally been caught. Or so they thought. It involves all the people sitting around in a house listing to the radio intently for the capture of the penguin, which previously got away with all the bud ice it managed to get from scaring the people away from it. When the announcement comes on the air that in fact the penguin has been caught, every one sighs with relief. So, one of the guys goes to his fridge to grab some beer for everyone. However, when he hands it to one of his buddies he looks at the radio. Then he notices something a little odd. The cord wasn’t plugged into the wall. As this is going on the voice on the “radio” says “that’s right bring it all into the open, noting to worry about. After that is said the front of the speaker box drops open and the pesky little penguin is sitting in the box with that look on his face that tells you he is going to get his bud ice no matter what. So the scene cuts to everyone running out of the house screaming and the penguin picks up the beer and turns around.

The conflict of this is the people who are minding their own business trying to enjoy themselves who can’t due to that darn penguin. The villain is the penguin who will do whatever it takes to stop the people from having bud ice. The conflict is not really apparently resolved due to the penguin wining. However, the hero is essentially us in “us” in keeping the penguin away so we can enjoy wonder, delicious bud ice.

Tide to Go Talking Stain

In this ad, the man being interviewed by the employer obviously didn’t look in a mirror before his interview. Due to his lack of attention to detail, he ends up going through his interview with an obnoxious stain on his shirt. Just because the interviewee missed this small detail doesn’t mean that the man giving the interview didn’t notice. Thoughout this embarrassing scenario, the viewer would probably relate most to the man being interviewed. He would be the central persona or hero. He’s the guy that we’re kind of rooting for, even though we realize he’s made a mistake.

When it comes to identifying the villain of the ad, I believe we need to look beyond the idea of a human character. In the case of this ad, the negative persona would be the stain on the man’s shirt. The stain is the thing that is holding the man back from attaining his goal of getting the job. If it weren’t for this obnoxious stain, the man would have a much better shot at reaching that goal. Now, the only other character in this ad is the man giving the interview. He is basically there to represent the goal. This guy is the one who needs to be impressed in order for our hero to get the job. If the interviewee does a poor job at representing himself to the interviewer, he is not going to be able to achieve the goal. In a way, the interviewer acts as a gate keeper or obstacle in front of the hero’s goal.

This ad takes place in a very common looking office. This office probably looks like any hiring manager’s office and therefore hits close to home for the viewer. Making the setting of the ad be so lackluster and normal really allows the audience to see themselves in the same situation. With luck, this everyday office will drum up memories of the viewer’s most embarrassing interview which will make them feel even more vulnerable as they watch the commercial.

The plot of this ad is very straight forward. The man with the stain on his shirt has an interview for a job he wants. He is sitting down, answering the interviewer’s questions when all of the sudden, the interviewer notices the large, annoying stain on the man’s shirt. Obviously, the man going for the job wants to impress the interviewer, but a big stain isn’t going to help him do that. The man giving the interview can’t pay attention to anything the man is saying because all he can see (and hear) is the giant stain. If the interviewer can’t listen to what the man is saying, there is a very slim chance he will give the man the job.

The idea that is being played on in this ad is the idea that when going into an interview, you want to look presentable. We have been made to believe that the way we look has a lot to do with how people perceive us. Since in the ad this man ends up looking like a slob, the viewer realizes what’s wrong right away. Audience’s will recognize that this man made a huge mistake by showing up to his interview with a stain on his shirt. They will also understand that this man’s chances at getting the job are going to be slim because of that stain. If only there was something to eliminate this obnoxious stain, then the man’s chances would be much better. Alas, our product makes it’s way into the ad.

The Tide to Go stick is the answer to this man’s problems. If only he had one with him. He would be able to do as the ad says and, “Silence the Stain, Instantly.” If he had the product, all would be well and he would have a much better shot at attaining his goal and getting the job. The ad presents a simple solution for people who don’t want to be stuck in the same embarrassing situation. Making the viewer realize this is the ad’s job. It’s almost like the ad is scaring the audience into buying the product by making them feel vulnerable at the idea of being in this man’s position. Overall, this ad uses characters and plot to make the viewer want to buy the product.

Talking Stains

For my advertising and myth analysis I picked a tide commercial. There are two main charecters in the commercial one is younger male who is going to a job interview, and the second is the adult male who is doing the interview. The setting is in the office of the guy doing the interview. Both people are dressed like your typical businessman, both have suits on, both have thier hair clean cut and both look somewhat professional. Excpet for one minor thing that creates the conflict in the commercial.

The conflict that is going on in this commercial is that the guy who is going in for the interview happpens to have a big stain on his shirt. Now as we all know when we go into a job interview we need to look clean cut, and cant have stains on our clothing. Well the stain on the guys shirt is the only that that the man doing the interview can pay attention too. In the commercial the stain is actually talking and taking the attention away from the interview and on to the stain on the shirt. i would say that this is pretty much a social value that we should not have stains and tings like that on our clothing when we are going to a job interview.

Now the important part of this whole commercial is the product that is being advertised. Think of how easy it can happen where you are thirty minutes away from homw and you are going to a job interview and you stop for a quick bite to eat. All of a sudden you look down and there is a nice big ketchup stain down the front of your shirt. Hoenstly what would you do. well in this commercial you could be saved if you have the new TIDE STICK. This will remove that stain for you and get your shirt back to looking like new. So in this commercial if the guy going to the interview would have had a tide stick he would have been able to get rid of that stain and probably have a much more effective interview then he had with the stain. In other words the tide stick would be the hero in this story. I think this is easy for all of us to relate to because we have all spilt something on the front of a shirt, and there is now a product that will get rid of that stain.

Great Taste, Less Filling, Miller Lite

Description:

For my Advertising and Myth Analysis I have picked a Miller Lite commercial. The two main characters include a Blond Haired Female and a Dark Haired Female. The setting is located outside at a public restaurant, at a table, near a fountain. Also we are brought to a construction site were a mud type substance is being used. At the way end of a commercial a busy bar is used.

Plot:

The commercial starts off with two vary attractive females sitting at a table with lunch; both have a Miler Lite in their hand. The blond female says, “Doesn’t Miller Lite taste just great”. And then the dark haired girl replies, “Yeah, but I drink it because it is less filling. Then they start yelling back at each other, one saying great taste, the other one yelling less filling. One woman flips over the table, then the other girl shoves back and they both end up in the nearby fountain. They start punching each other and ripping each other’s clothes off until they are both in their under ware. (Meanwhile the whole park and restaurant is staring with shocked faces.) Soon the dark haired woman pushes the blond woman into a substance that looks like mud, and they roll around in it. The whole time they are shouting great taste and less filling.

All of a sudden we get a shot at a bar where two guys are sitting and declare that the whole scenario that we were just given would be a great commercial. We are then shown a shot of two females that we assume are their girlfriends with shocked expressions on their faces. The product Miller Lite is shown and is given a moment of glory. We get a shot again of the two guys and one says, “I have an idea for the ending.” And finally we are shown the two women that are covered in the mud substance and one says, “Let’s make out”.

Analysis:

This commercial has a lot that could be processed. When it comes down to it, the conflict between the characters is whether Miller Lite tastes great or is less filling. A social value that is displayed that could be pinned against others is how the two females acted in public. The two fought like wild animals in a very elegant environment and that would not fly in the real world. Another issue is just the content itself and where a commercial like this is being displayed. The commercial at points gets very graphic and the content can be questionable for children to watch it. This commercial premiered during the Superbowl, which is one of the most watched television programs of the whole year. Families and children watch it and all of a sudden a commercial comes up where two women are practically making out. Although young men probably liked it, I doubt the mothers of the children who were watching the Superbowl felt the same way.

The whole story of the two females fighting was a dream and conversation between two guys when they were enjoying a glass of Miller Lite Beer. The announcing even claims that, “Life is best told over a great tasting Miller Lite.” So the claim here is by drinking a Miller Lite you can tell wild stories about hot women wrestling in the mud and then making out. The “hero” displayed in this advertisement is Miller Lite. If you drink a Miller Lite, your life will get better and all your conflicts and problems will go away. Plus you can have those conversations that include hot women wrestling.

Sarah McLachlan Wants YOU to Join the ASPCA

“Angel” is the haunting melody that starts this commercial, with deep soulful tones that add just enough sorrow to tug at the heartstrings of the viewer as they are shown pictures of beaten, neglected, and exhausted animals. Sarah McLachlan’s voice is heard in the song, singing such lyrics such as “you’re in the arms of an angel, may you find some comfort there.” It shows animals being rescued and held in the arms of a rescue worker or police officer, the rescued animal’s angel. As the commercial progresses, Sarah McLachlan then appears with a calm, happy dog, while the fire in the background crackles; setting the mood that she and the dog are warm and cozy. This is showing that although there may be lots of happy pets out there in America, just as many animals are out there, in the wet, cold rain alone, or locked up in their owner’s houses with no food or water. That they are crying out for our help, or anyone’s in particular, as they wait for someone to come to them and give them aid. This helplessness and the addressing of the statement that “some rescues were too late” is enough to either A) make you cry, B) make you cry and change the channel, C) stare blankly at the screen in mute shock or D) vow to pledge money to the ASPCA as you swear vengeance against animal abusers everywhere.

This is the method that the ASPCA uses to draw us in. Many viewers have a pet of some sort- whether it is canine, feline, avian, reptile or amphibian, aquatic or exotic- and they use these pictures of these miserable animals to capture our sympathy in the hopes that we may just feel enough sadness for the victims to donate money to the ASPCA each month. The ASPCA would then be able to feed the animals, shelter them, give them the proper medical treatment, and watch them heal as time passes. And when you join, they send you a tee shirt of an animal and a wristband- plus a picture of an animal that is in the shelter. This further assures you that your decision to join the cause is justified. You have and are helping animals at this very instant, by paying 18 dollars a month to give them the love and care they have been left without.
In keeping with the elements of myth analysis, the ASPCA would be classified as the heroes of this commercial. They are fighting for better animal rights and awareness across the world about animal cruelty. Their hope is that by spreading this message that the villains (the horrible pet owners) who are abandoning, abusing, or starving the victims (their pets) would drive enough people to act now and donate money to help save the animals from their owners. This would in turn, make the viewer become a hero, and would have a better conscious on their shoulders that they were able to help animals. It also helps that in this advertisement that they used a celebrity to promote their ideals- that Sarah McLachlan is also passionate about giving money to help animals as well. If you don’t do sign up and ignore it, it makes you feel like a total jerk (or at least I feel that way), especially when you end up seeing the commercial again soon after you made the decision not to donate. This, I think, is another ploy for them to help you join their cause. “Angel” is a beautiful, yet mournful song that I have seen used in many dark moments, whether in TV shows or on YouTube AMVs. When you hear that familiar tune start up, you know it’s coming, and it is enough to make you feel guilty for not sending your love (and your money) to these animals like how you do for Milo, Otis, Fido, or whatever your pet’s name is. This causes conflicting emotions that challenge your moral beliefs. It is making you choose. “Do I spend money on these animals I’ve never met, or do I put it towards that vacation to France?” “Do I donate my money to the ASPCA or should I send it to a different charity?” For some of us, there is no question- we choose to spend our money on the neglected animals. For others, it just may be tough to choose between bills that need to be paid or animals that need to be saved. It depends on your priorities- and just how much money you have- and the ASPCA knows it. Until then, they’ll keep playing their commercials to remind you- not all pets have such loving owners.

The Smart Nightlife

Most people who go the bars downtown, go there to have the time of their life. Who would have thought that "living it up" was so dependant on the type of booze one chooses to drink? The real answer is that it doesn't, but the aim of most liquor commercials is to imply that exact concept.

I choose this particular ad, because it is simply a classic. The setting involves two young males hanging out at a high class bar, in search of a good time. One motif that appears within this ad and most liquor commercials alike is the image of a high class bar with an array of attractive people. This ad showcases multiple settings that present an extraordinarily fun time as it involves beautiful women, a private jet, limo, and even a yacht.

The two young guys, or heroes of the commercial, overhear a wealthy and successful man (supporting character) who is surrounded by beautiful women, mention the name Sergio. Our heroes look at this as an opportunity, and because they are drinking Smirnoff Ice, they make the intelligent decision to boldy lie to the wealthy man, saying that they know Sergio. This easily convinces the naive wealthy man to invite the heroes on a night of suppossed yet limitless debauchery and luxury.

One conflict that is pitted against the hereos towards the end of the ad is that the amazing lie might expose itself when the wealthy man asks if they should all go and meet Sergio. The heroes then make the intelligent action to convince the wealthy man by responding to the question with, "naaaahhhhh." This intelligent reflex to a close call was of course possible, because our heroes were drinking Smirnoff Ice.

This ad presents the wild and crazy night of our dreams. The prevelant theme that arises in this ad and others alike it is that night life can be crazy and fun, if you're drinking the right beverage. The drink in one's hand can represent not only character but intelligence as well.

Freecreditreport.com

This commercial is one of many which feature the same main character for freecreditreport.com. The main character is the man singing on the left with his guitar, dressed in a pirate outfit. The supporting characters are his friends/band mates (also dressed in pirate attire) and the clientele of this seafood restaurant (which includes the elderly man and cranky looking elderly woman in a booth, and two older tourists at the end of the ad). From the commercial, the viewer can see that this is not an upscale seafood restaurant; it appears to be small, cramped, furnished with checkered tablecloths in tiny booths, and filled with many lights to make it appear “brighter” and less drab than it really is. Also there are various nautical items are placed randomly in the eatery. The plot of this commercial is spelled out for the viewer who is listening to the jingle of this commercial. The man, who is singing in this advertisement, is forced to work in this establishment because his identity was stolen, which affected his credit.

The conflict in this ad is about the main character getting the job he wants and the job that he has to have to get by. By being unaware of his credit report, the singer is essentially stuck working in that seafood restaurant. In the beginning of the jingle he sings, “They say a man should always dress for the job he wants, so why am I dressed up like a pirate in this restaurant?” It is obvious he does not want to work there, but for monetary purposes has to. The jingle goes on to say, “should have gone to freecreditreport.com, I could have seen this coming at me like an atom bomb. They monitor your credit and send you e-mail alerts, so you don’t end up selling fish to tourists in tee-shirts.” The conflict is not resolved for the main character, but the conflict can be resolved for the viewer at home. Freecreditreport.com serves as the hero in this commercial because by going to that website, the viewers and consumers can get their financing and credit information, so that they do not have to be essentially forced into working in a work place that is undesirable to them. They can be proactive and frequently updated by using freecreditreport.com to prevent them from facing a similar experience the singer in the commercial went through, and have the career or job they want. If the man singing in the commercial had gone to freecreditreport.com he could be pursuing his music career, playing the music he wants, instead of catering to the tourists at the restaurant.

Tuna! TUNA! TUUUUUUUUUUNA!

Thin and beautiful is what many women in our society strive to achieve.  Anywhere you go in a grocery store, you are sure to see plenty of items labeled “Low fat” or “Low sugar!” On television, food advertisements take a huge chuck out of the commercial slots. Some just throw the food in front of your way, showing the food in the best, mouth watering, indulging way possible, but some, like the commercial shown above, creates a story for us to relate to.

In this commercial (Made in Thailand) A young beautiful thin women is carefully looking at some noodles dangling in front of her. She takes a few glances around and cuts off a small piece of it, landing on her plate of other bits and small pieces of food. This continues on, looking at the large portions of food with a bit of disgust. Then, like some sort of vortex, a large slab of meat attaches to her stomach! Oh god, what has happened? Ripping it off, it reveals a crying belly button, whining that it could not eat it. She slaps her stomach to shut it up and then a large tuna can appears on the screen that is low in fat.

The ad focuses in on diets and depicts it as an extreme in this commercial. It also targets woman, since the main character is a beautiful skinny girl herself.  The portions of food on her plate are even too little for a mouse. So by eating so little, who does this affect? Her stomach of course as it whines and whines wishing for just a slurp of noodle or a taste of real meat. Want to be skinny and beautiful without making your stomach whine? The sealed tuna is here to save the day of course at the end of the commercial, not because of how it tastes, but because it is low in fat!

 

The commercial is meant to be funny, first by showing the woman’s ridiculous choice and amount of food, then shows her poor stomach, with help of a little animation, crying! The tuna is not even shown in the ad until the end by itself but already the ads wants the consumer to believe “I don’t have to starve myself? Holy cow I can eat REAL FOOD?” Buy their product, eat it and you can be free of whiny belly buttons.

The ad is creative and funny; I like how it took an extreme and twisted way of how women diet and the affects it has on their bodies. You should be able to eat more; therefore food products that are low in fat give people that choice.

I don’t like tuna though; dolphin meat makes me cry for Flipper.

Dirty mouth? Clean it up with Orbit

We hear a trumpet, and the camera pans back to the three characters who are clumped together, smiling showing there pearly white teeth. Then cuts back to the Orbit Representative who states the tag line "For a good clean feeling no matter what", and behind her we see the three characters fighting once again.
a comedy created by everyday situations, where confrontation is present. Suggesting that by using there product (Orbit gum) you can avoid what would otherwise be awkward situation. The slogan that Orbit gum can make a dirty mouth clean is being let known throughout the commercial. It successfully uses common elements such as color, movement, sound, and the most important, word choice. It shows a comedic situation that draws emotion from the viewers, while also successfully creating an ad that encourages the viewers to buy their product.

Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen is a well known fast food restaurant. A lot of their commercials are about promoting a brand new item on the menu or something that is special for the holidays. Most Dairy Queen commercials have there logo in them which is a mouth with lips that may talk in some commercials. Most of the commercials are also funny to keep the viewers watching and entertained which I believe most of the time does. The ad that I choose to show was the Kit Kat blizzard commercial.


This commercial features Kevin Farley, brother of Chris Farley. This ad is about a white family where the younger brother is hanging wedgie-style from the coat hook on the back of the door while the older brother is taunting him with his own Kit Kat Blizzard. The father enters the room, and yells “What’s going on here?” The father sees the older boy eating a DQ Kit Kat Blizzard in front of the younger brother. The scene cuts, and both boys are hanging from the wall, and the father taunts them. Then the mother enters the door and the husband, surprised, says “Hey.” The dad/husband knows he is in trouble.

This ad like many other Dairy Queen ads comedic. Trying to get the audience to laugh and want the object they are laughing about. Most Dairy Queen ads are about how bad they want the object or how good it is.

Red Bull gives you wiiinnggss

Red Bull has long since dominated the energy drink category as we know it today. Often considered the founder and major catalyst for distribution of highly caffeinated energy beverages, Red Bull was originally created in Austria in 1987. Throughout the next five years, Red Bull rapidly gained popularity in Austria’s neighboring countries in Europe, eventually storming the U.S. market in 1997. Red Bull became the quintessential model for all energy beverage marketing. It has come to be an all-pervasive, billion-dollar conglomerate, sponsoring major professional sports events globally; creating “spin-offs” of the original drink itself; and producing marketing memorabilia for aficionados.

Today, Red Bull advertising campaigns take on several formats: they can be seen on any given number of television channels; banner ads being toted in the sky by massive blimps; in magazines; or on billboards. However one of the primary methods used by the company is the idea of cartoon advertisements on TV. These ads vary in their storylines, but ultimately give off impressions of light-hearted, humorous, and encouraging ideals for consumers.

In this particular example of a cartoon ad, Red Bull targets the younger community, more specifically college students, using a riskier, more controversial approach. The characters in the ad consist of two “typical” college students- a boy and his girlfriend. The boy is panicking due to a final exam he has to take the following day. His girlfriend meanwhile tries to coerce him to focus on her and to disregard studying. These values are basically represented by two young, college-aged types: the more laid-back, pleasure-seeking character pitted against the anxious, uneasy student who is overwhelmed with the expectations and demands of college life.
The “story” takes place in the boy’s bedroom-and more specifically his (rather suggestive) bed. This setting implies not only the references and motivations made by the girlfriend, but also represents the fears and pressures which the boy is experiencing. The setting is quite universal, and could represent a room in a house, apartment, or a dorm-room, broadening the audience’s ability to relate to the situation. The notion of final exams is also a prevailing source for anxiety among students in all four years of college.

The scenario, or plot of the ad is one which most teens and young adults can relate to easily: a couple sit in a bedroom, one is a student attempting to focus on schoolwork while the other tries to deflect his or her attention. The stress overwhelms the college student and he or she usually ends up abandoning his/her studying to spend time with their significant other. Ultimately, the conflict in this ad is stated directly by the boy: he is too stressed out and incapable of covering both the theory and “practice” of biology in one night (the meaning of this should be pretty self-explanatory).

However, Red Bull energy drink comes to the rescue and steps in to resolve this conflict, as it promises “revitalization of body and mind,” retaining the proposal that the drink will improve performance not only in terms of physical ability, but will also assist in concentration and intellectual stimulation. In other words, the ad states that without Red Bull, it would be difficult, if not impossible to perform physically and mentally all of the things which a student aims to do in any given night. This sends the message to the consumer that it’s possible to be both responsible and free-spirited, provided they drink a Red Bull (naturally). The ad demonstrates that it is in fact possible for one to productively study for a final exam and in the same night acquire heightened energy for the more exciting aspects of college life.

Cadillac CTS
In this commercial Kate Walsh is driving a sleek, sexy Cadillac CTS. As she is driving she is explaining to “us” the consumer, why it is that she is driving the CTS. Obviously as a successful, intelligent woman, why did she choose this vehicle? I find their choice of advertising strategy brilliant. She starts off by telling us what she didn’t buy the car for. It’s not for the features that she goes on to name as the camera pans the car to highlight them individually. It’s not about the 40 gig hard drive, the sunroof, or the pop-up navigation system. It’s neither the wood grain interior nor the unspoken luxuries that the camera captures. The soft leather interior, the sleek design are all shown but not even talked about. Kate goes on to tell us about her favorite things, gossip magazines, dark chocolate, Italian shoes etc. All of which are a “girls best friend.” As she pulls up to a stoplight, she says, “and showing up to the boys club in one of these.” Emphasizing how it feels to drive the CTS. She pulls thru the light when it changes, clearly ahead of the “boys” in the car stopped next to her at the light. The advertisement closes with Kate driving with a coy expression on her face, and saying, “The real question is when you turn your car on, does it return the favor?” The last scene you see is a quick flash of the Cadillac symbol and the Motor Trend car of the year award for 2008.
Analysis:
The fantasy theme in this advertisement is all about today’s “luxury game”, as she refers to it. It’s all about status, and how this car makes you feel. It is appealing to people who want to make a statement about who they are through what they have. It tells us a lot about our culture. Making the social statement, “you are what you have”. This stresses the value our society places upon material positions versus content of character. The characters in the commercial are Kate Walsh, the Cadillac, and the men in the other car. The Cadillac is obviously the “Hero” being the main focus. Kate is the represented consumer. I find it interesting that she references “The Boy’s Club”, the Cadillac Company’s normal target demographic. These are generally successful middle-aged men with substantial income that feel entitled to luxury vehicles. They have turned it around in this commercial recognizing the growing population of successful women who want, love, and are willing to spend money on a beautiful flashy car to represent themselves. The men in the other vehicle are supporting characters. The company has put a lot of thought into what appeals to the target audience. Overall I think this is a good example of a fantasy or myth advertisement. They paint a vivid picture of how it feels to drive the CTS. They definitely make it look sexy and glamorous. They ask the question, what do you want your car to do for you? Cadillac puts the choice in your hands. Do you want to simply get from point A to point B, or would you like to get there while making a statement. The statement being I am sexy, successful and I deserve this car.

"I ERGE YOU"

"Surprisingly Luscious Shampoo"

Here's my 30 second clip

When we hear or see the hair product brand, Herbal Essences, we may think of the logo “I’ve got the Erge” or the pleasant, botanical scent which attracts us to this wonderful product. Currently many merchandisers try to find their way into persuading consumers to purchase their magnificent product. Most of the time they have famous celebrities to play as the spokesperson in order to awe or wow the consumers. By doing so, they make consumers think that since the famous athletes use it or since the super stars use it; it is probably worth the time to apply to this product. In the ad I chose, the merchandisers try to encourage the buyers to purchase this new product by Herbal Essences.

The setting takes place in some sort of beauty store, or I’m guessing some type of pharmacy store like CVS and Walgreen’s beauty/cosmetic section. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice all the different branches of products displayed in the background are products owned by Clairol. This ad begins with an African American male, he who has a Jamaican accent, or I guess you can say he’s Bob Marley’s twin. However he is trying to find some moisturizing shampoo to nourish and untangle his so-called dread locks. The sales person, who is played by Fernanda Andrade, guides him with some help. By doing so, she introduces him to the new range from herbal essences, which she recommends and has been using. (This is where the merchandisers bring the “celebs” into the picture like I mentioned earlier). The setting takes place somewhere at the beach as the consumer tries the shampoo, where he is having a good time washing his hair, and singing about the scents in the product. “Coconuts and Orchids are a hairs best friend.” Later he returns to the store and asks for his money back. The sales person asks what the problem was, and so he takes off his hat. You notice his dread-locks turned into long, black silky hair like mines. WOW, what a transformation, I guess it does work. At that point, you know the viewers are enthralled.

You can interpret that the central persona from this clip is the consumer because he has a goal to achieve, and that goal is to find the right shampoo for his hair. As for the sales person, she will be consider as the supporting character, like Virginia Kidd mentioned in her analysis, the supporting characters are those who help motivate the plot and cheer the central characters decision.

In the end we come to discover that the hero of the scenario is Bob Marley’s twin, the consumer. We can see that this product works for a variety of hairstyles, from curly to unruly hair, and frizzy ness. Not only that, its also targeting men to apply to this product. Before, most advertisements only had women to play the role as the consumer. But this ad is a perfect example to target a viewer this product isn’t just for women but for men and hair of all types.

So I ERGE YOU to try this product, even though it’s been out for quite sometime, it still works. The scent is wonderful, and you can smell it for days! Like the ad said, “Surprisingly Luscious Shampoo.”

Citibank Identity Theft This commercial is advertising identity theft protection and what could happen if you don’t have it. They grab your attention by using comedy in what really is a serious situation. The commercial takes place in a dental office where a lady dentist is sitting in the room with her patient lying back on the chair. She starts talking but instead of her voice, you hear a mans voice. The voice you hear is the man who stole her identity. With out a hint of care in his voice he starts listing all the thing he’s going to buy with her credit card. Singles week spent in Taiwan and other thing like self tanning cream, hair plugs, and of course waxing, all of which he suggests will attract the ladies. As smug as could be, he implies that women can’t get enough of him and then laughs about the whole thing at the end. I mean why should he care at all it’s not his money he’s spending. Citibank will alert you of suspicious spending with their fraud early alert warning and stop it. So instead of someone stealing your identity and spending a crazy amount of money and taking vacations and living it up on your expense, you can catch them before it gets out of hand with Citi identity theft solutions. Anyone with a credit card I think would and should appreciate it. The lady in the commercial was a victim of identity theft and probable wishes she had the early warning given by Citibank identity theft solutions so that “Larry” the man who stole her identity, wouldn’t have had the chance to “live it up” at her expense. Citibank is providing a way to stop this problem and look after the best interest of their card holders.

Laura Sickler

A Different Perspective: Zazoo Condoms

Oftentimes, advertisements are used to show how their products or services essentially help save the day because of their uses. But there are just as many ads that attempt to show you, scare you, and persuade you when you see the results of what happens when the the characters in their ads DON'T use the product. This ad for the Belgian based Zazoo Condom brand uses this method in a morbid satire of what happens when you don't use their products. The ad has, quite understandably, been banned in several regions throughout the world, including the United States, for its questionable and downright nihilistic take on a complex issue. But as ridiculous as it may seem, the ad effectively grabs its consumers by showing the effects of what supposedly happens when their products aren't used.

The ad starts off in a grocery market, which serves as the setting for the entirety of the turn of events. Immediately, the setting overwhelms you with a bleak tone. The usually vibrant colors of the products within the supermarket are dulled intensely through the use of lighting, and nobody within the store seems to have any inclination to crack a smile. We are immediately introduced to the two main characters of this little play; a young father and his son. The father serves as the silent and tragic protagonist, and his role is explained through his actions and expressions, not his words. He seems normal, though from an educated guess one might assume that he is economically maladjusted and may be a single parent. His son, a stubborn, disobedient, and seemingly bratty child, serves as the antagonist throughout the entire story.

It begins with the boy taking a bag of candy from its designated shelf and placing it in the cart. The father, apparently unable to pay for such luxuries, puts it back on the shelf, thereby initiating the conflict. The young boy frowns, and openly defies his father by putting it back into the cart, showing his insubordinate side. When the father puts it back on the shelf once more, the boy begins screaming his apparent need for the candy. When the father tries to calm him down, he flies into a temper tantrum. He runs off, throwing products off the shelf and kicking and screaming on the floor. As he draws the attention of the other people present in the store, the father can only stand and watch in wordless embarrassment. And when all is said and done, the "value" expressed in the ad as well as the link to the product finally flashes across the screen.

"Use condoms."

That sort of rhetoric is not exactly a common one In fact, it's very doubtful that the father or even any of the people observing would think of such a such a thing, unless they were in a particularly foul mood. While the father could potentially solve this issue by being more assertive to his child and disciplining him, the ad suggests that the issue could have been nipped in the bud if he had simply worn a condom on the night that ultimately lead to the birth of the young boy. A large part of the humor in this ad is how it seems to immediately take things to extremes. and how ridiculous those extremes are shown to be.

Of course, the ad is probably intended to be a comedic and satirical play sexualized world. But at the same time, it is also meant to scare the members of its target audience: young men who do not yet know the possible outcome of their habits. The message is quite simple. If you don't use condoms or other methods of safe sex provided by this company, the folly of this tragic hero could just as easily happen to you. Of course, the ad is rather insensitive over circumstances, and strategically ignores the possible benefits of having a child even out of wedlock. It also doesn't seem to place much worth in family values, which no doubt caused alarm with many observers. But even so, the dark comedic value of the ad has attracted quite a bit of attention, while the persuasive tactics of the ad may have implanted a sense of fear in the demographic it chose to target.

Easy AXEses

Easy access is usually how the saying is worded, but in this situation and the pun off of the word axe it works to my advantage. Ever since the conception of Axe and Tag body spray advertisements creators of those two products have had some creative yet, far fetched ideas as it pertains to the way they document their product. Taking this commercial into account the main character isn’t what many would classify as the prototype image for a “sexy” man. He appears to be reading the newspaper outside of a coffee shop or something to that degree. He is pale in complexion and has this long straggly hair and gives off body language that he is shy. One would assume on how this commercial should work is this guy needs to be well fit, fake baked from tanning and dressing in all designer clothes, that isn’t the case for this advertisement. However that’s why it seems easier to relate to this commercial, because not everybody can look as good as David Beckham.

In addition to the main male character in this piece, the female counterparts resemble the exact opposite in every category. The first one we see is dressed higher class, designer sunglasses and purse (I am assuming), all the accessories from head to toe and her hair flows in the breeze like some sort of super model. Looking past the catchy song and before considering the effects of the product this is advertising the atmosphere it feels like somewhat of an ordinary day to me anyways. By that I mean I’ve many times found myself sitting at work on a slow day reading the paper and looked off to notice females looking pretty and I’d find myself wondering how one can “woo” over a girl like that.

As the progression goes this male character continues to go about his day from the coffee shop to his apartment, on a bus then to the supermarket and seeing lovely women in the adventure. Wow that’s interesting how I rambled about all of that and haven’t even mention anything about the product that is being advertised and the “power” it has to resolve this conflict and make our male shlub (yes I said shlub) into an icon.

I realized I mentioned that the main male character sees these beautiful women as they walk by, however he sees them very differently than anyone would to their natural naked eye oops there was another bad pun. Anyway when he is scoping out these women he sees them in their under garments and each stop he makes at the coffee shop, his apartment alley, the bus and at last at the supermarket. It isn’t until the supermarket scene that the product is introduced we see the last woman pass him by in some leopard print lingerie(RAWRRR!!) and he sprays in one circular motion to cover him with the passionate scent and the common trend before this one the girls would just look past and now as she walks by, she looks back and looks at him and she can see him in nothing but a zebra like banana hammock and it is his hair flowing in the artificial wind. She raises an eyebrow possibly suggesting something sexual. This advertisement ends with the saying “Don’t let opportunity pass you by” by breaking that saying down its clear in its message in that even if you’re not the sexiest man on earth with a spray of axe even you have the ability be with any girl you want.

Maybe I need to start wearing axe more……..