Are You Really Eating “Fresh”?

Since this weeks lecture topic is Commercial Rhetoric, I thought it would be appropriate to use another Subway ad as the basis of my topic for the weekly Ad Journal. Mainly in part because their slogan “Eat Fresh” is everywhere. It is in the Subway restaurants, on bags, paper packaging, cups. You name it, it’s on it! This is indeed an example purposely intended as part of commercial rhetoric.

This Subway ad is quite similar to my first Ad Journal; the same message is conveyed. Take a look and you’ll immediately see the similarities in the opening seconds:

Once again, the message that Subway is trying to convey is that if you eat at their competition, you will be paying in the long run; whether if it is emotionally or physically.

From this ad, the consumer learns that eating a Subway sandwich, even if cheese is added, is only 8 grams of fat. The response is immediately: “WOW!” I found this low calorie count extremely hard to believe, so I decided to go onto subway.com for more information.

The websites theme appears to be “Menu & Nutrition- 6 Grams of Fat.” The menu can be accessed on the site. The “Subway Fresh Fit” menu is the only menu on the website that gives the calorie count-6 calories to be exact. While the subs look delicious, getting your custom made sandwich at that low of a calorie count is unrealistic. Eating a dry sub is unlikely; mayo or other condiments will be added, resulting in the calorie count to sky rocket.

While I think that it is great that Subway wants to set themselves apart from their competition by having healthy items as an option, I also find it problematic. Problematic because they still offer “unhealthy” items in their menu.

Chips and soft drinks are a perfect example here. These items contradict Subway’s ad. Subway is making it a point to slam their competition by mentioning they have greasy items. But yet, Subway carries chips and soft drinks. Chips are extremely greasy and soft drinks are extremely unhealthy.

If Subway really wanted to get their consumers on the “road to a healthier lifestyle,” they would do away with all their items and ingredients that are unhealthy. I know this is unrealistic because those items are of high profit to the company. The prices of the food would also go up if the ingredients were 100% natural. This makes you think: are you really “eating fresh?”

 

 

Cha Cha to McDonald’s

This happens to be the most amusing McDonalds commercial that is running. Take a look:

Yes, it is extremely amusing. A little boy around 8 years old is dressed in a gold outfit, which immediately makes him the visual focus of the ad, with his hat turned sideways. His family is eating food from McDonald’s. The Cha Cha songs starts to play. He begins to dance; surely putting on a show for his family, as he is also eating McDonald’s food.

Apparently, the ad agency for McDonald’s wanted to use sound as their main focus; the focus to draw their consumer into the ad. The song in itself definitely catches my attention because I love it! It is such a fun, carefree song that reminds me of summertime.

While this ad immediately catches my attention, it leaves me a bit confused. I do not understand how a family, who is watching their kid dance to the Cha Cha song can relate to McDonalds. The three ideas do not relate in anyway.

At the end of the ad, the all so familiar McDonald’s slogan pops up: “I’m Lovin’ It,” along with the golden arches.

The only message I convey from this ad is that by eating McDonald’s you become a carefree child once again; a child who dances to the Cha Cha song as you are eating apples dipped in caramel (I think that is what the boy is eating). McDonald’s tasty snack will definitely put you in the “I’m Lovin’ It” mood, which takes you back to childhood.

Above the Influence

I enjoy the abovetheinfluence.com ads because they are so simple, yet hold a powerful message. All the ads have different actors and actresses in them, yet it is immediately known that it is an abovetheinfluence.com ad because they each hold realistic scenarios that people face; particularly high school and younger people.

The younger generation is this ad campaigns main target because they are our world’s future, and in order for them to be successful, they must be drug-free.

The ad I chose will hold an emotional response for many because it is a true scenario that numerous individuals have faced “the next morning.”

The scene is simple. It is set in a small, dorm looking room, with a young man who is awakened from the phone ringing. He answers in a cheerful manner.

While we only hear one end of the phone conversation, we get a whole lot of information. The friend on the other end of the phone does not appear to be happy with him. We learn this because of the guy we see. His tone suddenly changes to a serious one and he sits upright on his bed, with a somber look on his face.

The guy asks: “How did she get home?” There is a pause as the caller on the other end is explaining the situation. The guy continues: “Man, I was so high, I…” There is another pause. We see the expression on the guy’s face. It appears to be dejected and not happy. He responds: “Are we cool?” There is another pause. Finally he responds: “Tim you know me, that is not me.” We hear the call disconnect as the caller has hung up on his friend. The phrase: “Sponsored by Office of National Drug Control Policy/Partnership for a Drug-Free America” appears on the bottom of the screen.

I know many people can relate to this scenario. They partied the following night to the point where they cannot remember what happened, and what they did. Usually a friend or family member becomes angry and disappointed because of their actions.

The abovetheinfluence.com ads are wonderful. The are targeting young people for drug prevention. All their ad scenarios are realistic. They are saying: “Hey if you do drugs, this can happen,” which is great because young people need this type of awareness.

As stated above, these ads hold an emotional response to the viewer, as well as a recognition response because they are all quite similar and very powerful. The sound and images of these ads work hand-in-hand to get their messages across. The ads would be less effective if one was missing.

Definitely An Attention Grabber

Geico has a span of commercials that include celebrities ranging from Little Richard to Verne Troyer to help tell their customer’s story. In the ad I chose for the week, movie trailer announcer Don LaFontaine makes an appearance to tell Paula Sala’s story.

Sala is in closer view of the camera, while LaFontaine is in the background, standing with headphones on, a microphone in place, and is ready to work. Sala begins by telling her story about a storm resulting in both her cars being under water. She stops, music that is played during an action-packed film starts, and LaFontaine takes over. He repeats everything that Sala just stated, but in a way that draws the viewer in due to the dramatic tone of his voice.

It is now Sala’s turn to continue her story as she says, “It would take forever to get some help.” LaFontaine adds an intense summary to this as he passionately states: “But a new wind was about to blow,” as he is clasping his fist tightly in the air.

Finally Sala ends by saying: “With Geico, we had our check in two days.” It is then LaFontaine’s turn to add his own interpretation. He bodily proclaims, “Payback, this time, it’s for real.” He takes off his headphones, looks as if though he stepped out of “the part,” and we hear Geico’s slogan: “Geico, real service, real savings.”

This ad is the best Geico commercial out, even beating out the popular Caveman ads, in my opinion. This ad does many things. First off, it grabs the viewers attention because it has that all-so-familiar voice from the movie trailers. This serves as an attention grabber. Secondly, LaFontaine’s voice is so powerful and distinct that we all can’t help but stop and watch the reactions his face makes and the type of body language he gives as he is turning a simple script into a dramatic, award winning piece.

Bravo to Geico for having an epic tone be part of their ad campaign. This ad really caught my attention, which is the focus of all ad companies

My Ad Campaign For My Final Project

For Week 8 I chose to analyze the new Apple iPod Touch ad. Apple ads are the most powerful and appealing ads out so I would like to continue to use Apple as my focus for my final analytical project. I will use the Wide Campaign form with a collection of Apple ads that are currently running on television. These ads include the MacBook Air ad, iPhone ad, iPod Nano ad, and if possible the iPod Touch ad. Each of these Apple ads have their own significance and leaves the viewer in complete astonishment.

Absolutely iMazing

After mentioning the Apple iPod Touch in my discussion for this week, I thought it would be appropriate to use an ad from Apple as the basis for my ad journal.

This was the first ad that I saw for the new iPod Touch a few months ago. Take a look:

Immediately we see a black background that contrasts with an unknown silver object, and hear the beat of music. The object doesn’t appear to be very wide in size. The item is rotated and that is when we know it is an ad for an iPod because we see the Apple logo, with the words “iPod” beneath it. Once again rotated, we see the front view of the iPod with its new, shiny design. Instantly we know that Apple has yet again out done themselves.

The iPod that is making its advertising debut is the new iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is very similar to the iPhone that came out months before. With the viewing of this ad and the details presented in it, we get a mini tutorial of what this new piece of technology is capable of doing.

Before we even know what this new iPod is called, we immediately learn that it is all touch screen because of the details presented. The hand in the ad touches an icon, and a keypad pops up.

The word “Music” appears on the screen while we hear the word “music” in the song. The hand touches the music icon on the screen, a play list pops up, the song is selected, we see the album cover to the song, and finally the iPod is rotated. With the rotation of the iPod, comes the rotation of the screen that allows the consumer to flick through their album art in Cover Flow.

The word “Video” appears next on the screen. The same scenario as the music one appears in the video section of this ad. The hand makes a video selection, the iPod is rotated, and we view the video in widescreen. With this, we get a sense of the clarity and color precision that the iPod has.

The next words that appear are: “Photos” and “Safari” with similar scenes as the ones presented above. With the details presented we know that photos can be viewed and browsed along with access of the web using Safari. The iTunes logo is shown with the words “Wi-Fi” to show that iTunes can be accessed with this iPod! Something that the older iPod versions can not do!

We see the word “Touch,” hear the same word in the song, and then see the words “iPod touch,” which is the name of this iPod.

With just a 30 second ad and all the details shown, the viewer gets a mini guided tour of what the iPod Touch is capable of. There was still a handful of details left out, but with the few details shown, I was immediately blown away!

Destinations are Endless

I absolutely love the new model designs that Jeep has come out with in the last couple of years. Their advertisements are equally as amazing. As Ogilvy states in “Wanted: a renaissance in print advertising,” headlines are the most commonly read piece in print ads. This said, it is important that the headline in an ad grabs the reader’s attention and sells the product with just a few words.

In the ad I chose for Jeep, the center of the ad print reads: “Discover Planet Desert.” The primary color of the ad is in orange and charcoal. The text is in white which makes it stand out to the reader because it is a much brighter color and contrasts to the deep colors in the background.

Behind the text, we see a round figurine, in the shape of a planet, with a silver Jeep that appears to be climbing to the top. The planet that the Jeep has “discovered” has sand, cactuses, birds flying overhead; the typical desert scene. The sky is a deep orange as well, and the reader gets a feel of the heat that is associated with the desert environment. On the bottom right hand corner reads “Jeep” with the company slogan “There’s Only One.”

The ad company in charge did an excellent job executing this ad. With just three words, the viewer is drawn into the ad. Their context, “Discover Planet Desert,” is a great way to describe Jeep. It is saying that with a Jeep, the consumer is able to go to places that they wouldn’t be able to go to, like a desert, if they had the competitions SUV. With a Jeep, the consumer is able to go beyond the typical driving range; the reader gets this feel when viewing the ad.

Women’s Shampoo

A majority of the shampoo ads that are out today definitely target women by their advertisement techniques. The women are shown with long, silky looking hair. The ad is intended to give us the feel that if we use the product shown, we too can get hair that looks that good. This is exactly what demographic research does. It advertises its product to those that are thought to be the buyer. In the shampoo ads, it is women who are the supposed consumer.

The commercial I chose is a Pantene ad. The viewers immediately see an attractive woman, wearing a formal black dress, with long, shiny hair. She begins walking down a stairway with a gigantic smile on her face. Her hair is full of volume and is bouncing up and down with her movement. Once she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she does a twirl, and that is when it is apparent that the focus of the ad is the woman’s hair.

The scene switches to various women who are living their everyday life. Some are dancing while spinning their heads, and once again hair is the main focus.

Throughout the ad there’s various messages appearing on the screen. The first one says : “Don’t Blend In,” another says: “Light Up the Room,” and the final phrase says: “ Dance All Day, Not Just at Night.” We then hear: “Let yourself shine. Discover the new attitude of Pantene.” Finally we see the Pantene symbol with the word “shine” appearing below it. These phrases all refer back to Pantene in reference to women’s hair.

Shampoo ads target women, when in all reality, I am sure many men use the same kind of hair care products such as Pantene. Yet, by the looks of many ads, only women use shampoo and care about the appearance of their hair. I would like to see a male shampoo commercial. That would be very interesting indeed because most males have short hair, so I wonder what would take the place to the twirling hair?

Red Bull: Cloud 9

I find all Red Bull commercials to be quite amusing. The particular ad that I chose is based in a funeral setting. The viewer immediately sees a framed photograph of a man who is assumed to be the diseased individual because it is placed above a casket with a rose near by.

The lawyer begins to read the will. The scene shifts to a front view of the mourning family. The older woman appears to be taking the death the most difficult. The lawyer reveals that the late man left his money, property, and valuables to Ms. Jacqueline Monique Smith. The family shifts their attention to their left where a woman is shown, striking a sexy pose and crossing her legs while seductive music begins to play.

The elderly woman takes out a Red Bull from her purse, starts to drink, and immediately grows wings on her back. The music instantaneously shifts to a type of music that sounds mission like. She flies over to the lawyer, grabs the will and flies up to heaven to confront her unfaithful husband.

The man’s spirit is in heaven, laying on a cloud. He has a white gown on, along with a halo over head. He is thinking of his mistress who is at his funeral. The man sees his widow flying towards him, makes a noise of surprise, and quickly flies away, with his wife swiftly behind. The viewers see the Red Bull can and hear the company phrase “Red Bull gives you wings.”

Red Bull’s company slogan is “Red Bull gives you wings.” While it may give the cartoon figurines in each of their ad wings, we all know that the consumer will not get wings. The phrase is used in a figurative way, which is extremely ironic. It does not give the customer wings, but instead energy. The wings represent energy and a power boost which is what the buyer will receive when Red Bull is consumed.

Seductive Buffalo Chicken

The past few ads that I have seen for Carl‘s Jr. makes it apparent that the advertising agency who holds their account has a main focus. That focus is not the food that the restaurant carries, instead the company chooses sex appeal as their focal point for Carl’s Jr. advertisements.

I chose a commercial where the setting is a pub scene. We immediately see the waitress who is wearing a tiny skirt along with a tight, low cut, short shirt. Erotic music begins to play as she plants herself at a nearby table and begins bending over in a seductive way, as she is clearing and wiping the table down. Instantly, it becomes evident that she is interested in a customer who is sitting across from her, as she is looking at him in a sexually seductive way. Likewise, it is very apparent that he too is interested in her because of his actions. He takes a quick glace at her backside, looks down her shirt as she is leaning forward, and is giving her the same type of looks as she is giving him. This scene is occurring while he is eating buffalo wings.

Watching the interaction between the two individuals, you get a sense that they are about to sneak off into the bathroom and engage in some kind of sexual activity. That is when you hear the commercial announcer say: “Guys love going out for buffalo wings… that is, when they’re with the guys.” The waitress then walks away, and you now see another female. The guy’s girlfriend who was being blocked by the seductive waitress, and is giving her boyfriend a look of sarcasm. He replies by saying: “What?” As thou she did not witness the erotic behavior between the two. Finally, the scene changes and we see a buffalo chicken sandwich which is the new menu item for Carl’s Jr.

This ad gives off a few problems for me. First off, we do not know what this commercial is advertising until the last four seconds. I would have guessed that clothing was the advertising item. This relates back to one of the readings for this week. Ogilvy mentions that reinforcement and assurance is the key task of advertising. It is important because it reminds the customer that they are still up and running. They do not need to hammer in Carl’s Jr. logos and items every second of the commercial because they have a steady set of customers who go, and will continue to go, to Carl’s Jr. on a regular basis. Their foundation is set.

I must add that I do not see the relationship between an attractive female and a buffalo chicken sandwich. This commercial is definitely not a persuasive ad. If anything, it only persuades me to believe that the Carl’s Jr. advertising team will continue to come up with ads that in no way relate to their menu. Their main focus is to show females in a sexy and seductive way.

Double Blubber It

The last couple of ads that I have seen for Subway have focused on targeting their fast food competitors menu, and the negative effects it has on the consumers.

This commercial starts with a car driving up to a fast food restaurant. The couple in the vehicle place their order. The man orders “love handles, double chin, and some blubber.” He then decides to order the “double blubber.” The female orders the same thing but instead of the blubber she orders “thunder thighs” and a “badonkadonk butt.”

Out of the Four Causes, this ad focuses on “Material Cause” and “Formal Cause.”

Starting off a commercial with a couple ordering love handles and blubber immediately brings the viewers’ attention and boldly screams out the harsh reality that “greasy fast food” has on one’s body.

This ad gives the spectators two choices: you can order the fast food and in exchange you get love handles, or you can order from Subway which is approved by the American Health Association, and you will be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

This Subway ad then continues on by mentioning that the menu now includes “New Better For You sides and drinks.” The commercial goes about showing that Subway is substituting a side of French Fries with a side of raisins, milk, and apples. The fact that Subway carries a healthy side and drink menu definitely sets it apart from the competition which is the Formal Cause. It is also Material Cause because it is showing clips of the food that is served-the ingredients involved in what Subway stands for.

Personally, starting off an ad with customers ordering double blubber, which is representing fast food, and then ending the ad with a tasty looking, non-greasy, sub sandwich, has me running to Subway to “eat fresh.”