Thursday, September 30, 2010
My bio
ford commerical
At the beggining of this commercial you see a ford truck carry a chevy truck up a mound of rocks to prove a point that ford is better than chevy. After that you will see another ford truck carry a chevy up the mound of rocks while also towing a dodge truck. This advertisement is set on getting people to believe that if you buy the ford truck that you will be buying the best truck out there. Now I will have to admit that it was pretty impressive to see that, but you have to wonder if the chevy truck can pull both the dodge and ford truck or if the dodge can pull both the ford and chevy truck. I myself drive a chevy truck and believe that what it can tow is not all that important. I mean yes if u want to carry a heavy load you will want to be able to, but that is very unlikely that you would have to do it so often that that will determine which truck you buy. I believe that you also look for gas milage on a truck and how smooth it rides or the safety ratings on the vehicle. If you relate this back to scholes vision of the umpire being rewarded with a budweiser, that is just stating that budweiser is the best beer out there and you want to be awarded with it. Its just like the advertisement for the ford truck stating that ford is the best truck you can get when there is a wide variety of trucks that all do the same thing, get you from point A to point B. Now a days who knows what truck is better, they are all being designed to haul a heavy load and trucks are just getting bigger and bigger and burn so much gas.
Clydesdales deliver beer
This commercial easily symbolizes the American Dream that working hard equals success. This poor Clydesdale, personified by the human quality of determination, works hard on what he beleives is what he should do alone, completes his goal unknowingly with the help of his parents. The American Dream lives on through the Clydesdales hard work and unknowing help from his parents. A lot of the time things do not go according to plan, your parents may not help you, your best just might not be enough, you probably wont have the resources to complete your plan. The American Dream now is getting financial aid from the gorvernment, completing classes with the help of others, times have changed.
Jordan Tiegs
Lexus IS
In this Lexus commercial we as the viewer are given the chance to see a perspective of a car we usually aren’t able to. You see this amazing bright blue car racing across a shiny warehouse floor with drums and hi hats set up in a perfect line. As the car passes by it maneuvers gracefully over the pedals to the instruments causing them to make a single beat. Due to the flawless driving and timing of the car an entire drum beat is played. The beautiful car plays the last beat and skids to a rest for us all to admire. A man’s voice comes in and says, “It isn’t real performance unless it’s wielded with precision.”
When this commercial plays you hardly have enough time to really grasp what is happening. The fact that there is a neat drum beat playing while a sleek car is driving catches most people’s attention. Music and cars goes hand in hand which is what draws me to this add because I’m musician myself. I think of how precise each and every instrument had to be set up for a beat that perfect to play. Agility, power, and comfort all combined to make a race inspired car. When the 35 second commercial is over viewers are left thinking how enjoyable it would be to own this car. The feeling that if you got in it and turned on some of your favorite music, you could drive just like the car in the add (the Myth). The other main aspect to the video is how clean and shiny everything is. Nobody likes a dirty car because then it no longer looks perfect. Precision+ Performance= Perfection
“It isn’t real performance unless it’s wielded with precision”
lk;jfdsa
High profile soccer players from all around the world are brought into an ancient Roman style stadium to start this commercial off. After the players arrive it is then that they see their soon to be opponent, Satan, who then countinues to call up demons from hell to act as his teamates. Soon after the game starts, and the demons begin to dominate their opponents, throwing elbows, headbutting, and even tackling their opponents. (the reff appears to actually be blind, offering no help to the humans) In an instant though, everything changes, a human player makes a stop on a demon and carries the ball upfield manuvering past several demons, eventually taking a shot that is blocked with ease by Saten. The players do not give up however, they have now gained their confidence back, if they play their hardest, and play up to their ability, they know that their superior skill will prevail in the end. It is then that they make their final push forward, again juking several demons as they carry the ball upfield. Atlast the humans have produced another scoring chance, a one on one shot against Saten, but this time the player has regained his confidence, and he hits his shot so hard it breaks through Satens chest and scores, defeating the demons and sending them back to hell.
This commercial is effective because of the simple fact that generally people like to see the good guys come out on top. Virtually everyone on this earth enjoys watching the more rightouse person (or team in this case) succeed in the end, which is why the producers took it one step farther in making the opposing team demons, clearly indicating who was the "bad guy" in the game. The demons then begin to cheat succesfully, and in turn dominate the game, angering the viewer who knows that it is unfair how they are playing. Soon after the twist takes place, the demons cheating tactics are no match for the humans superior skill, bringing a sense of excitment to the viewer, who has new found hope that the humans will pull through. The humans, now moving the ball well, have begun to dominate the game, frustrating the demons who can do nothing to stop them. Finally, as the viewers excitment peaks, a human gets an open shot on Saten, sending it through his chest and into the goal. The viewers emotions are now at an all time high because not only did the "good guy" come out on top, he also destroyed his enemy, giving an oasis of hope to those watching that this will happen in their own lives. Whether it sells soccer products, I do not know, but it inspires and gives hope to all that watch it.
This is History
Black History month is a celebration that many of us do not pay enough tribute to, but Lays Company decided to go above and beyond in their tribute on February 4th, 2007: the Super Bowl. This particular Super Bowl was one for the history books, as it marked the first Super Bowl match where the two teams had black coaches. The commercial works to remind us of this by showing us many African-American families, of all personality types. Some for the Bears football team, others for the Colts. But each family shares the same sense of joy and pride while looking at their television sets. The screen goes blank and asks a simple question, “who’s winning?” As the screen fades back a reporter on the television states “We’ve got more than a game here, we’ve got history,” and a young black man calmly smiles with satisfaction nodding his head in agreement as the screen goes blank yet again, giving us the simple answer of “we all are.” The reporter’s voice comes back one last time, giving us an undeniable fact: “we’ve got history in not just getting here, but what getting here represents.” And just before the screen goes black for the last time, saying “enjoy the game,” we get a glimpse of a young black boy, sitting at the feet of his grandfather with a blank stare focused on the television, while the grandfather shows us a smile filled with pride and happiness in the fact that his grandson gets to grow up in a world where the norm of accomplishing great things is done by people of all colors.
Not only can we pick up a great sense of pride in America’s freedom to equality from the obvious joy on the actors’ faces in this commercial, but the belief of working hard and never giving up despite how society might define you is also subtly shown. Through the historical event we are reminded of – that this particular Super Bowl was the first to have both teams with black coaches – we are given a real life example of the American Dream. Two separate black men accomplished what many others believed to be impossible, by not only working hard, but by believing in themselves and fighting for their dreams; a standard many Americans believe to be important and necessary for having a successful and healthy life style. Lays Company smoothly accomplished laying out two of America’s biggest cultural beliefs during one of the largest TV spots available instead of advertising their product, and for that I congratulate the Lays Company.
Captain Morgan
In this Captain Morgan commercial, there are two guys at a bar and one of them was supposed to be at their girlfriends cousins wedding, he said he was sick so he didnt have to go, but instead they went to the bar. When his girlfriend calls him she hears backround noise and asks him if hes in a bar. He says no hes just watching tv, so then everybody in the bar talks to make it sound like different tv shows as if he was flipping through the channels. Then at the end he fake coughs and then they say goodbye and she believes him.
I think that making adds like this is a great way to market what you are selling, people like to watch things that make them laugh or that they can relate to. By shooting this commercial they are after a certain crowd of people to buy their product and i think they did a good job by letting you relate to the characters in the add. I dont particularly agree with it but it makes you laugh and makes you remember Captain Morgan Rum. Also, they have a trademark which honestly gets stuck in your head pretty easily, where they put one leg up on a barrel of rum and say the phrase, "Get a little Captain in you." Which most people remember. Overall i think this was a successful commercial and has my approval.
KC's Analysis
This commercial starts out showing an old wheel from back around the medieval times rolling into an old unicycle then into an old-in-day train. This continues on for the next twelve or so objects, each object increasing in age or the time that it was built. It is almost like a time machine in the sense that it starts out with something from the middle ages and grows over time (by bumping over another object) until it hits the new Sprint 4G. When the commercial begins, there is a voice in the background announcing "First it is the beginning...First kicks open the door and possibilities follow...First resets everything and moves us forward fast...", this includes the inspirational music in the back. The whole commercial is set up to advertise how each of those objects use to be a "first", and now through these present times the new device has promoted itself to a 4G phone. When one device has been made, it brings "possibilities" for the next to be made, making a whole chain of objects through technology to be brought to life.
When people see this commercial, I can assume that what they are seeing is what it shows: old objects falling onto a more recently used object and so forth until it hits a 4G in which everyone today is familiar with. Once everyone sees what the commercial was advertising they then stop thinking about what the voice was saying and what they just saw and instead think about what they are familiar with, which in this case would be the newest phone. What I don’t think the audience comprehends is the fact that over time America's culture has changed drastically and increasingly fast too, just as the narrator says. It was only in the year of 1804 that the very first train was made by Richard Trevithick, and shortly after that in 1873 the typewriter was invented. The commercial also includes the first space shuttle which was built around the 1970's. If the audience could understand the real timeline between each of the falling objects that is being portrayed, they could see how much forward this culture really has come. The advertisement is not just about a simple 4G phone, it is about how much the first objects over time have inspired the next and how much society has changed throughout time.
Doritos commerical
In this commercial it starts out with a man going up to a house and knocking on the door, after he knocks on the door a young lady opens it up. After she opens the door he hands her some flowers showing the us that he is obviously there to pick her up for a date. When the man comes into the house the lady tells him to have a seat and introduces him to someone, you dont see who it is that she introduces him to until after she leaves the room. It ends up being her son, who's name is jaylin. once jaylin see's Kyle (His moms date) he drops his game controller and gives him "the look." Kyle thinks he can just come in and make himself at home, but Jaylin thinks otherwise. Then Kyle made a mistake by picking up a Dorito from a bowl of Jaylin's Doritos. As he's about to take a bite of the dorito, Jaylin slaps him across the cheeck and says, "Keep yo hands off my momma keep yo hands off my Doritos."
Most people may view this commerical as funny, but it also has some value behind it. it basically shows a young boy who watches out for his mom and won't let any man touch her, or treat her badly. If you put humor and a cute little kid in a commericial, most people are going to like it, and it may persuade them to buy the product it's trying to sell.
M&Ms Commercial
I have to say that I love M&M commercials. I get a little giddy when new ones come out. I would say that this shows that the approach that is being taken in these commercials is working. When I go to the store and see M&Ms at the checkout, I tend to pick up a bag. It then makes me remember the commercial that made me smile earlier that day.
In this commercial, the mother is doing the wash and notices that the clothes are turning pink due to something red being put into the load. She then finds the red M&Ms “clothing” or coating as we know it. She comes out of the laundry room holding the suit and there is a yellow M&M and her family eating M&Ms. She announces that someone put their red clothing in with the whites and demands to know who it is. Around the corner comes a “naked” M&M in a towel. She accuses him of putting his red clothing in the whites. She is holding the clothing upside down with makes the “M” a “W”…being the witty M&M that he is, he quickly says, “W…mine is an M.” The yellow M&M, being the “not so quick” one, looks down on his chest (which makes his “M” upside down to him appearing to be a “W” and says, “Mine is a “W” and then is the one to take the blame for the red clothing being in the wash and the red M&M gets away with it. The commercial closes with text that reads, Give them a place in your home. Creating characters that do the things that happen with family members such as the red clothing in with the whites and placing the blame on the other family member makes us feel as though these characters are family. Family being something that we can all draw on and relate too we are entertained by these commercials.
I think the biggest reason why these commercials are so successful is the way they make the characters “real.” Not only do they talk, they have individual personalities. They have wit and a bit of sarcasm which is appealing to many audiences. Each color has its own personality which is consistent in all their commercials. These commercials appeal to young and old. They show real life situations and bring to life these characters.
Zach's Analysis: Farmers Insurance Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_UqaS89rng
In the video I chose, there were 3 men in an airplane in the opening scene. Two of these men seemed to be working together, and they didn’t seem friendly. One of the men pushed the third man out of the airplane door, and he begins to fall to his death. Until 2 men fly into the screen and give the falling man a parachute. He lands safely and walks away. The narrative I got from this commercial was “America as a brute force,” if we don’t get it our way we use our strength.
As a whole Scholes’s essay is urging us to look deeper into what we are watching, and critically analyze what we are taking in. I see a man being pushed out of an airplane, but for what reason? Are the men pushing him the “bad” people, or is he? Our mind generates these questions to build a background to this story. The background I came up with from this commercial was that the man being pushed out of the airplane had dome something to make the other men mad. The way the men got rid of the opposer was to throw him out of an airplane. The way our minds want to generate a background relates back to the “power and pleasure” we enjoy, it keeps us interested.
There were was one thing I saw in this ad that I could relate back to Scholes’s main point. He states that “Another way the seemingly harmless stories embedded in commercials teach a view of America that can distort important truths, often hiding history and other information we need to make informed ethical decisions” I believe that in this video we are portraying violence because of the men pushing the other man out of the airplane window. This can be a subliminal message to kids that violence is an okay thing. Even though this message is not stating it in words that we can see or hear, children may reenact a tv show. I am sure non of us want this to happen to any children. So why even put it in commercials for them to pick up?
AT&T "Rethink Possible"
Entering the city, the song "Pure Imagination" begins to play, automatically setting the tone. The narrator takes you back, "Remember when you were 5, and anything was possible?" "Happy 5th birthday again." As a culture, many of us recognize "Pure Imagination" as a classic song from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. The movie itself is full of fantasy and unbelievable sights. The song is whimsical and begins to transport us.
With the music setting the tone, the visuals of the actual children drawings bring the fantasy to life. The drawings are not just cartoons, it seems they are actual simple drawings that have been created. Suggesting, our own childhood drawings or imaginations are coming true. Childhood is a state of innocence, a state of imagination. To a child, there are no limitations, their imagination is their escape from reality. As a society, we forget this innocence. Even when we are younger, many of us are focused on wanting the privileges or responsibilities of being an adult. In a way, we are growing up too fast. We become immensely involved in our busy, every day lives. We lose our imaginations, slowly but surely somewhere along the way. As we enter adulthood, many responsibilities and pressures are laid upon us. Many people become constantly fixated on what is going to happen in the future, worrying about where they will be tomorrow. It becomes more difficult to engage our imaginations, and to enjoy the present moment. Children are a great example for our society. To children, the sky is the limit. They are able to feel invincible in a sense. Children can be in the present moment, and enjoy every minute of it. The smallest things bring a smile to a child's face. By being in the present moment, worries float away. One can think clearly, and be content with themselves and the world around them. Allowing ourselves to be in touch with the "kid" in us once again, the possibilities are endless.
Ad Analysis: State Farm Insurance
Scholes claims that in his essay, that " another is the way the seemingly harmless stories embedded in commercials teach a view of America that can distort important truths, often hiding history and other information we need to make to make informed ethical decisions." I believe that what he is saying here is that we pay more attention to the subliminal messages in the videos' then we do to the actual truth behind it. The essay also goes to on to say that "Scholes urges us to not to surrender to the pleasure, but instead to think critically about images and stories and how they compare to the reality of life in the United States." I agree with Scholes but in reality we all know that we surrender to the pleasure of the misleading messages that we are drawn to the commercials because of the “complex dynamic power." I am relating Scholes work to the State Farm Insurance Commercials. I chose State Farm because to me their commercials can be misleading. Everyone knows the State Farm jingle “Like a good neighbor state farm is there" and their commercials,, but what i believe others don't know is that their commercials are misleading and pulling us in by showing us things that can’t happen. Such as, in one commercial they had a hot tub just magically appear out of nowhere when that jingle was said and in another commercial the perfect guy for the girls just magically appeared. As people watch the commercials over and over again, they start to believe that it may happen in a way. I believe that State Farm thinks that, if they get a catchy jingle and throw in some misleading messages that they will get more customers. State Farm is simply persuading people that they can do just about anything even though most things aren't possible. But us as humans we just want to believe it. Scholes has an interesting quote that he writes in his essay " What Americans really lack, for the most part, is anyway of analyzing and criticizing the power of a text like the Budweiser commercial." I thought that, that quote went perfect with this analysis because in class we are doing the one thing that Americans lack, which is analyzing and criticizing these essays and commercials.
Mary's Sample Ad Analysis
"Army Strong" Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hNh8ZSX4cg
Within this 30 second “Army Strong” commercial you see more than just an advertisement to join the army; you see the promise of opportunity for a better future. This commercial begins with a soundtrack that sets a heroic mood and the feeling of something to come. Then the visuals show a series of men and women, one after another, in different careers, Coach, Firefighter, Pilot, Business man/woman, Manager, Doctor, each of them proudly stating what jobs they had in the army such as an Intelligence Analyst, Officer in the Airborne Core, Green Beret, Dental Assistant, chemical officer, and more. They go on to list the qualities that the army helped them achieve like being a team player, decisive and a leader. Though it doesn't say it, this advertisement implies that going through the army is the best way to gain a good career. You can assume this by the emphasis they put on the career aspects of the Army, and from quotes such as, “As it turns out, camouflage is a great way to get noticed. 150 careers and the strength America’s top employers are looking for.” These former Army officers stand proud and as an example to all with the looks on their faces seeming to tell the audience “come, and have a new greater life.”
Subaru Commercial analysis
This Advertisement starts out with a dirty Subaru pulling into a parking lot to be washed, Then it turns to a large group of male sumo wrestlers walking towards it with buckets and sponges. They proceed to wash the car in slow motion, pressing their bodies against the windshield, spraying each other with water, one whips another with a towel but it appears to be all in good fun. Then the camera pans towards to an astonished elderly man and women who presumably are the owners of the car. The narrator says "Japanese SUVs just got a little bit sexier" and the commercial cuts.
This advertisement is going for a humorous approach. In American culture car washes are generally thought of with sexy women in bikinis doing essentially what the sumo wrestlers did. The commercial is trying to connect with the viewer by doing the opposite of what the viewer expects. It puts Sumo wrestlers who aren't really considered sexy in the roles of people who are typically sexy. Another thing that adds to the humor is the shot of the astonished old couple. Culturally we think that elderly people and their conservative ways are to be respected but yet again the commercial aims against the obvious. The situation that the sumo wrestlers place the couple in makes them feel uncomfortable and even potentially disturbed. The narrator claiming the car wash as sexy is mocking the fact that Americans culture doesn't think obese men in underwear is attractive. The commercial is mocking an American cultural narrative but by doing so it's also proving it exists. I personally liked the idea for the commercial, it made me laugh and in my book any commercial that can make me laugh gets my approval.