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.