Wednesday, April 4, 2012

5 Commercial Critiques


"Ew. Seriously? So gross."-Geico Commercial
What is the visual style of the film (animated, live action, stop motion)?
Live action.

What is the tone (happy, sad, scary, funny)?
Funny.

What is the product they're selling?
Saving money through Geico.

Who is their Target Audience?
Adults—35 and up.

What is the 'problem' that the product is solving?
You don’t have to go to such ridiculous lengths to save money; just call Geico.

How does the commercial talk about these problems?
The commercial shows a man who thought he could save money on weight loss programs by “hiring the popular girls from the local middle school” to follow him around. They said, “Ew. Seriously? So gross,” to every fattening thing he touches. Eventually, he’s trying to sneak meals and is frustrated. At the end of the commercial it says on screen, “There’s an easier way to save…Geico, 15 minutes could save you 15% or more.”

Is there a Narrator? If so, is the narrator a voice over (off screen) or a character on screen?
The narrator is off screen and says the Geico tagline at the end of the commercial with Geico’s logo in the center of the screen.

Do you feel that the commercial is successful? Why?
Yes; it carries the point across simply and humorously.


"Old Spice-Swan Dive" Commercial
What is the visual style of the film (animated, live action, stop motion)?
Live action and animation.

What is the tone (happy, sad, scary, funny)?
Funny.

What is the product they're selling?
Old Spice Body Wash.

Who is their Target Audience?
Men.

What is the 'problem' that the product is solving?
That men can smell like the man advertising Old Spice (real name: Isaiah Mustafa).

How does the commercial talk about these problems?
It advertises that if a lady’s man can smell like an ‘Old Spice man’ then he will do/be everything she’s ever wanted him to do/be. It portrays that if he doesn’t use Old Spice then he really isn’t fully the man a lady wants.

Is there a Narrator? If so, is the narrator a voice over (off screen) or a character on screen?
On screen narrator; the man speaking throughout the commercial is the only one who talks.

Do you feel that the commercial is successful? Why?
I feel that it comically portrays that Old Spice is what a man needs to be fully a man—which is the goal of the advertisement, so yes, I would say it’s successful.


"Meth-Not Even Once" Commercial 
What is the visual style of the film (animated, live action, stop motion)?
Live action.

What is the tone (happy, sad, scary, funny)?
Serious, sad.

What is the product they're selling?
It’s a campaign to stop the drug addiction of meth; “Meth-Not Even Once” is the name of the campaign.

Who is their Target Audience?
Meth users, which are most likely teens to young adults.

What is the 'problem' that the product is solving?
It portrays what happens (or can eventually happen) from the use of meth.

How does the commercial talk about these problems?
The commercial shows a group of friends in a car, one being a girl who is passed out from meth overdose, pull into a hospital parking lot and lets her out of the car on the ground and drive away. A nurse runs from the inside and comes to the girl’s side and yells for assistance. The narrator is a girl’s voice off screen (being the voice of the girl who has overdosed) saying that her friends are always there for her, they do everything together and she knows that no matter what happens, they look out for her (starts speaking 15 seconds into the commercial [30 second commercial]). The point of the irony is to show that when something goes wrong with your drug use, your friends most likely will not be there for their own reasons and in most cases, neither will a nurse. It effectively shows that you’re on your own when something goes wrong.

Is there a Narrator? If so, is the narrator a voice over (off screen) or a character on screen?
Yes, the voice is off screen but is supposed to be the voice of one of the girls in the commercial who doesn’t speak.

Do you feel that the commercial is successful? Why?
I do feel the commercial successfully portrays the seriousness of drug use, specifically meth. Being abandoned by your friends is only one aspect of it, and the commercial portrays the reality of it and also portrays the naïve mindset there is in thinking that your friends will be there for you at your worst hour, but then again, if they were your friends, they wouldn’t be doing meth with you.


"Weight Watchers-I Can" Commercial
What is the visual style of the film (animated, live action, stop motion)?
Live action.

What is the tone (happy, sad, scary, funny)?
Inspirational, happy.

What is the product they're selling?
Persuading you to join their weight loss program (Weight Watchers).

Who is their Target Audience?
Adults (mostly) who are overweight and wanting to lose weight and get healthy.

What is the 'problem' that the product is solving?
Through weight watchers, you lose the weight you need and it teaches you how to change your eating habits so you can treat yourself better by eating right and getting active, a lifelong decision.

How does the commercial talk about these problems?
It uses a celebrity that uses the program, Jennifer Hudson, to say that before weight watchers, she felt like she couldn’t do anything right with her body, but when she joined Weight Watchers, the program was realistic and changed her mindset towards the body and eating—she went from thinking she couldn’t do anything to knowing she could do anything. She says that if you think you can’t, believe you can and let Weight Watchers help get you there.

Is there a Narrator? If so, is the narrator a voice over (off screen) or a character on screen?
The voice on screen is Jennifer Hudson, but at the end of the commercial, there is a voiceover of “Join by September 25th, and you’ll get a whole month free” by a lady narrator.

Do you feel that the commercial is successful? Why?
I do feel the commercial is successful. There is a successful, well known and inspirational celebrity who uses this program and is proof that the program works. She’s realistic in the commercial saying how she didn’t believe in herself and then explains that it’s because of Weight Watchers’ effective program that helped her to have that confidence again to know she could do it!


Experience the cruise vacation of a lifetime with Princess Cruises Commercial
What is the visual style of the film (animated, live action, stop motion)?
Live action and animation.

What is the tone (happy, sad, scary, funny)?
Happy, peaceful.

What is the product they're selling?
Trip on Princess Cruises.


Who is their Target Audience?
Adults, those looking to “experience a vacation of a lifetime.”

What is the 'problem' that the product is solving?
When trying to figure out the perfect vacation for you and your family, Princess Cruises will give you that experience.

How does the commercial talk about these problems?
It visually displays the various things to do on board and the different places it stops to along the way—making anyone drool over this sweet package and want to book their ticket right away. It displays having a vacation on Princess Cruises as a dream come true because you can “escape completely.”

Is there a Narrator? If so, is the narrator a voice over (off screen) or a character on screen?
There are some staff members of Princess Cruises that say “Welcome,” towards the end of the commercial and then a voice over off screen giving quick information about Princess Cruises.

Do you feel that the commercial is successful? Why?
These types of commercials just need to display what is possible when going on a cruise, or at least try to capture that in a nutshell and make it look as appealing as possible and make the audience want to go and book their ticket right away—which this commercial did do very well. Through the attractive ways they showed the possibilities on Princess Cruises and what could be possible for you if you were to experience a vacation with them, I believe they were successful in selling their offer to the audience.

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