Allie Mack, Sony BRAVIA's viral campaign

Like other high-definition LCD televisions on the market today, the Sony BRAVIA displays great picture quality, sound and advanced technology sought after by the recently exploding HD TV market. When lined up with all the other televisions, the BRAVIA doesn’t necessarily stand out. Each of its models differs in dimensions, screen quality, frame and capabilities, but Sony’s price premium sets it apart from its competitors. The Sony BRAVIA—Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture—is among the priciest televisions on the market, and therefore, requires an advertising campaign that justifies its price premium and broadens its target audience. Fortunately for executives at Sony, Fallon London (the masterminds behind the Sony BRAVIA ad campaign) not only achieve the goal of legitimizing the price premium, they also promise a technologically advanced lifestyle where quality meets community, exemplified through their tag-line: “Colour. Like. No Other.” In a market where so much is the same, it is ultimately BRAVIA’s ad campaign that makes this product one of a kind.

In behind the scenes videos, the head of Fallon London in collaboration with Passion Pictures revealed that the minds of the Sony BRAVIA advertising campaign followed their hearts to create something simple, iconic and emotional—a tactic aimed at replacing human desires with a connection to the Sony brand. Sony offers full commercials on their website (http://bravia.sony.eu/bravia.html), but they also offer, to a much greater extent, “making of” videos and behind the scenes reels. In addition to full commercials, upon visiting the website, consumers are prompted with links to “colour experiments,” producer and director’s commentary, mobile downloads, and director’s cuts; all of which reveal this ad campaign’s focus on the technology of color. The television commercials generate enough interest to get consumers to check out the BRAVIA website, but that’s where their utility stops. In essence, Sony BRAVIA’s ad campaign revolutionized product advertising. It embraces the idea of “ads as appealing as the programs” (Wallace, 57). It combined television with the power of the internet to create a viral campaign whose success rested on their creation of films or ads that people choose to watch.

The success of the campaign began with the airing of BRAVIA’s first commercial “Balls,” in which 250,000 colorful bouncy balls were catapulted into the streets of San Francisco to the tune of Jose Gonzales’ “Heartbeat.” Although filmed on the west coast, the commercial first aired in the UK on November 6, 2005 occupying the entire two minute commercial spot just prior to the kickoff of the most highly anticipated soccer game of the year: Manchester United versus Chelsea. In addition to the ad running on television, Sony also aired a minute-long version of the commercial on the digital perimeter boards during halftime (Bhaskaran).

The timing of the ad played an important role in the campaign, mainly, defining Sony’s initial target audience. Their colorful creative displays clearly targeted sports fans, but more significantly, the fans that were gathered around their television at home to witness the game with friends. Unlike the ads that have, “from the outset, projected itself at the lone viewer, Joe Briefcase, alone,” Sony’s ads play on the idea of community, bringing people together to witness something spectacular (Wallace, 54). In addition to the timing of the commercial, the execution and idea behind Fallon’s commercial entertainment was of utmost importance. In making this ad, the head of Fallon London revealed that they followed their hearts to create something simple, iconic and emotional—something artistic and unique that would replace human emotions with an association to the Sony brand (Bravia). The location of the shoot gave BRAVIA a west coast identity representative of technology, creativity and originality, and the execution of the film only furthered this campaign’s play on emotions. A look into consumer research showed advertising executives at Sony that color was the most motivating principle when shopping for televisions, and also provided a go-to explanation of Sony’s strengths. Therefore, in order to allow the commercial to portray the vividness of the balls’ colors and movements, it was filmed on location without the use of any computer graphics (Bhaskaran). For Sony, this was probably the most crucial element to their campaign. Despite BRAVIA’s advanced technology, the simplicity and seeming lack of technology in creating the commercial allowed the quality of BRAVIA pictures captured by Sony cameras to shine. More importantly, the lack of computer graphics made the commercial’s shooting unlike any other: the shoot became a spectacle for people to witness. The public aspect of this ad brings about an involvement with consumers, giving further emphasis to the campaign’s emotional qualities of the sense of sight and feeling of community. In a market focused on selling TV’s to entertain the masses, the Sony BRAVIA chose to focus on the people; creating a memorable event captured beautifully through this commercial, but also recorded by the hundreds of spectators who caught this spectacle on camera.

Importantly, this “Balls” commercial was aired only in the UK, never reaching American television; yet, within hours, amateur footage was being circulated all over the internet (Bhaskaran). From this point on, Fallon directors and Sony executives realized the direction that their campaign should turn. In a way, this first commercial taught them the importance of the internet and the power of word-of-mouth advertising, making this campaign viral like no other.

Like BRAVIA’s first commercial, the following commercials entitled “Paint,” “Play Doh,” and “Pyramid” achieved this same fame. All set in recognizable locations, each film created a public spectacle that encouraged pedestrian participation, commentary and amateur videos. The first commercial’s surprising online success taught the advertisers the need to harness the power of the internet. With such public displays, Sony allows the witnesses to take care of much of the advertising for them: through word of mouth. The handycam amateur editions are prime examples of the consumer generated ads discussed in Louise Story’s “The High Price of Creating Free Ads.” The versions of the commercial shoot flooding the internet are examples of an approach that combines the populist appeal of reality television with old-fashioned sweepstakes gimmick (Story). This type of campaign shows that everyone wants to be a part of the action, to get on television, to achieve fame through a spin-off, or just to voice an opinion on a blog website. From the success of their first ad, Sony’s campaign has come to exemplify viral advertising. After the creation of their second commercial, “Paint,” also only televised in Europe, Sony developed a campaign centered on the internet.

Sony recognized the fact that in the future, people may no longer have to watch commercials on television due to technology like Tivo and DVR that “with their dreaded fast-forward and zap functions, threaten the very viability of commercials” (Wallace, 57). So advertisers, too, must exploit the advancements of technology to their benefit. The campaign came up with commercials with profound impact that playfully resonates with the human condition, and provides enough motivation for viewers to choose to watch the ads on a website. Such a website is exactly what Sony created:

http://www.bravia-advert.com/

The website provided consumers with full-length videos of the commercials, as well as making-of videos, witness interviews, director’s cuts, interactive games, downloads, backgrounds and images that make the website a fun and welcoming look at the possibilities of color through BRAVIA technology. In addition to this obvious aspect of internet advertising, Sony’s ad campaign employs numerous other internet-based tactics that the average consumer would never catch on to. Tonic, the company responsible for creating the BRAVIA advert website, was also hired to amplify the natural popularity of consumer-generated input through a five-prong internet marketing strategy. Tonic’s contributions to the campaign include a blog fodder site, blog seeding campaign, a 2-stage video banner campaign with streaming videos and rich media MPU’s, a new online BRAVIA product module on Sony’s One Destination Website, BRAVIA themed games and animation on the advert website (above) and an internal communication campaign, all of which have broadened the campaign’s audience with minimal spending (iMedia). Furthermore, the success of the campaign is also due in large part to Immediate Future Inc., an online Public Relations agency focused on expansion through social media. Immediate Future was hired to add context to Tonic’s digital asset creations, discreetly building momentum and excitement for the launch of new ads on TV. Immediate Future works behind the scenes by identifying influential bloggers and securing agreements in which bloggers would favorably depict the BRAVIA, hyping up the commercials and online adverts as well as providing links to the BRAVIA website. Because of online Public Relations work, upon typing “advert” into Google, http://www.bravia-advert.com/ takes second and third place in natural search listings. Furthermore, the online outreach has created over 40,000 links to the site from online blogs (iMedia). Instead of creating a campaign based on television, the Sony BRAVIA ad campaign uses television merely to supplement online advertising. Through its revolutionary use of the internet, Sony has brought about its product’s success through social networking and bringing people together.

The internet based nature of Sony’s BRAVIA campaign rests in its ability to make consumers choose to watch the ads, just as they should choose to purchase the television. Of all aspects of this campaign, the one prevalent throughout is its reliance on community: whether it be the community of viewers witnessing the commercial at the same time, the community of witnesses creating their own versions of BRAVIA’s public events, the community of bloggers that choose to share their ideas and spread the word about BRAVIA on the web, or the community of consumers defined by ownership of a Sony BRVIA brand television. Sony’s ad campaign creates a diverse community of interest united by the awe of technological prowess and creative energy employed in the making of each advertisement. It is in this way that Sony successfully legitimizes its price premium: just as BRAVIA commercials drew crowds to witness spectacular events, so too will BRAVIA’s spectacular color, picture, and technology draw a crowd at home.

Works Cited

Bhaskaran, Lakshmi. “Case Study 3: Sony ‘Balls’” D & AD’s Creativity Works 6. 2006.

“Creative Showcase: Bravia Goes Viral.” iMedia Connection. June 22, 2006.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/9965.asp

“Sony Bravia: The Launch of ‘Paint’.” Immediate future.

Online-pr/case-studies/sony-bravia%3a-the-launch-of-%27paint%27-200704113

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Story, Louise. “The High Price of Creating Free Ads.” The New York Times. May 26,

2007.

pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=heinz%20commercial%20contest&st=nyt&scp=1>

Wallace, David Foster. “E Unibus Plurum: Television and US Fiction.” A Supposedly

Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.

Jared Prescott: Dude, Bud Light is selling wit

Jared Prescott
Dude, Bud Light is selling wit

College is a new opportunity for many people. Many students are living on their own for the first time, and with this newfound freedom comes a huge responsibility. One of the new aspects of college is the availability of alcohol. It is prevalent on many college campuses throughout the United States. Alcohol is bought in mass quantities on college campuses and any alcohol that is cheap and readily available is preferred. Bud Light is one brand of beer that is extremely popular, and one of the main reasons is because of the television ads that are readily available for everyone to see. They put out many different commercials, all with the idea of marketing their beer in today’s culture. The more their beer is mentioned the more people will think of it when they are in a store deciding which type of beer to purchase. The point of beer commercials is to distinguish your product from every other type, therefore Bud Light is not selling beer, they are selling humor.
Anheuser Busch is the company that brews Bud Light. This brewer is based in St. Louis, Missouri and has been producing beer since 1852. They have a huge market share in the United States, at about 48%. Bud Light was introduced to the market in 1982, and was first named Budweiser Light, as an offshoot of Anheuser Busch’s original beer, Budweiser. Today, Bud Light is the number one selling beer in the United States (Goldammer). It is brewed in 12 breweries around the United States. Anheuser Busch has more then 600 wholesalers around the country which allows the beer to be sold very easily, and relatively cheap. Anheuser-Busch has been one of the main brewers of beer in the United States. Bud Light is made in a very specific manner. It is made with a blend of two-row malt, six-row malt, and cereal grains. It is then brewed with many natural ingredients, such as water, grains, barley, hops, malt, yeast, and rice. It is generally bottled into a twelve-ounce serving, but they also produce cans. The twelve-ounce bottles contain 110 calories and have a 4.2% alcohol by volume. It contains 6.6 grams of carbohydrates, and .9 grams of protein, but does not contain any fat or cholesterol. They have a tradition of always brewing their beer in this flavorful manner which has allowed Anheuser-Busch to be one of the top providers of beer for centuries.
Anheuser Busch has often run humorous commercials to garner the attention of people around the country. Their company is currently running commercials about having superpower abilities when you drink the beer, and then something goes horribly wrong, and then they say that the superpower ability is no longer available in Bud Light. These commercials are funny due to the ridiculous events that occur when the people supposedly have the superpower ability. These ads are in stark juxtaposition to those being run by Miller Lite, where they only advertise on the taste of the beer, and since the consumer has no proof readily available they just have to take the company's word for the excellent taste of their beer. Whereas, Bud Light is advertising in a humorous manner that makes their commercials and their product stand out in the consumers’ mind. This strategy is pretty common, many beer “…firms often use advertising as a mix element that informs and persuades simultaneously. For example, a typical beer commercial will contain product/brand-related information, but concurrently the creative strategy contains elements that have nothing to do with the product per se, but helps build the so-called brand effect” (Banerjee, 132). This is one of the many accepted strategies of advertising. Bud Light takes advantage of this strategy, in many of their commercials. However, the “dude” commercial, does not use this strategy of combination. As they do not advertise any facts about the beer, they only try to persuade audience using clever methods.
Bud Light's "Dude" commercial:

“Dude” is a word that many people use throughout the country. It is a saying that everyone can relate to. It also de-individualizes something, as anybody who is saying dude is not actually conveying what they are saying through words but more through tone or inflection. Dude can be a word that refers to anyone, male or female. Everybody can relate to the word dude, and hence they are opening up their advertising to everybody. Anheuser-Busch is trying to formulate a product that everyone can relate to. The “dude” commercials main point is to emphasize things that are annoying, and then the main character says “dude” to note his displeasure of something that someone else is doing, or has done. At the end, he says “dude” when someone orders a drink besides Bud Light. He is saying what they are doing is annoying or stupid. We get the sense that the word “dude” can mean many different things if said with the right inflection. Sometimes he is saying how excited he is with the inflection of his voice. It can be a greeting, a condemnation, a commendation, or just a statement of fact. This one word takes on many connotations in this commercial, and it signifies the diversity of which the word can be applied to and the diversity that the beer can be applied to. Anheuser-Busch is saying that “dude” can be applied to many circumstances, and Bud Light can be applied to many different people of diverse backgrounds. They are selling the use of the word dude, and the cleverness of their ad instead of the product.
The “dude” commercial has created a culture of its’ own. It tries to appeal to men, because it is often said that men talk in shorthanded codes, so that they do not have to express their emotions. This commercial is playing off of this preconceived stereotype. It is saying that a man can express a full range of emotions with just this one word. Many men can appeal to this, because they know exactly what the guy is saying without having him expound on his thoughts other then the use of the word “dude”. Men are more likely to drink beer then women, so appealing to men is the most likely way to generate the most sales (Herd). In addition, these humorous commercials stick out in the minds of people who are not 21. Children have very impressionable minds, and having not tried beer, when they do go to try beer, when they are 21 of course, they are more likely to try the beer that has been imprinted on their mind from television ads. By advertising on the market Bud Light is specifically trying to advertise to males above the age of 21, however their ads appeal to people of all ages, which helps Anheuser-Busch in the long run. Bud Light is trying to promote a lifestyle where the beer is an essential part of life, and everybody wants Bud light as opposed to any other brand because that would not be as cool. They are also associating this one word with their product, so that in the real world whenever someone says that one word everyone thinks of the beer. Since, “dude” is used commonly, the product hopefully will be in the consumers’ minds a good amount. However they are not selling the qualities of the product.
Obviously a beer company cannot project a lifestyle that involves heavy drinking. That is dangerous to people’s health. Beer companies are not allowed to advertise someone drinking a beer so they have to convey a favorable lifestyle without directly showing someone drinking the beer. This is not an easy feet to accomplish, so they work very hard at advertising to the people who are most likely to go out and drink. So they try to appeal to people in the 21-30 range more then any other. They often show people at clubs who are drinking, or people on a date; two occurrences which are more common among people in their 20’s. They show a lot of things that people in this age range can relate to; events such as playing sports, or an annoying coworker. This allows them to portray an average person’s lifestyle. Hopefully appealing to many people on an individual basis, where they can say, that happened to me, Bud Light knows what I am thinking. That is the type of thinking that Bud Light is trying to instill in their customers.
One of the main aspects of advertising is to make the product to as many people as possible. "Since soda is not a basic necessity or a traditional beverage choice and since the soda consumer chooses between many brands with almost indistinguishable flavors advertising alone must make the product appealing” (Frank, 170). Like soda, beer is not a necessary product in today’s society. They are both luxury items that people sometimes choose to drink as opposed to more traditional, essential drinks such as milk and water. So the same logic can be applied to beer as Frank applies to soda. Therefore they need to make their ads memorable, because they have to convince the potential consumer to buy beer, and then to specifically buy Bud Light, otherwise their ad campaign fails. Whereas other ad campaigns for more essential goods only need to focus on letting the consumer buy their product. Since beer is not an essential item, many breweries need to sell people on something other then their product, because people do not need their product. They need to be able to sell be relating to people and by making their commercials memorable, and Bud Light does this, but this type of marketing is unfortunately more conventional then we might hope.
Today, advertising has moved into a realm where many people do not advertise the product. “Dude” is just a word, it has nothing to do with Bud Light, and the commercial has nothing to do with Bud Light until the very end, where a small connection is made. However, because of this, now the word “dude” becomes synonymous with Bud Light. An everyday word is attached to an unnecessary product. When the word is used, the product is remembered it sticks out in peoples’ minds. The world we live in is not about who has the best product anymore, it is about who can market their product most effectively; who can attach meaning to a product that has no meaning. Bud Light has effectively done that. They are not selling their brand of beer; they are selling their brand of humor and wit. The American people have responded by buying this brand of advertising.


Works Cited
1) Goldammer, Ted. Beer Sales: The Brewer’s Handbook. Apex Publishers, 2000. 3-32.
2) Herd, Denise. “Sex Ratios of Drinking Patterns and Problems among Blacks and Whites: Results from a National Survey”. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Vol. 58, (1997).
3) Banerjee, Bibek and Bandyopadhyay, Subir. “Advertising Competition under Consumer Inertia”. Marketing Science, Vol. 22, 1, (Winter, 2003), 131-144.
4) Frank, Thomas. “Carnival and Cola: Hip Versus Square in the Cola Wars”. The Conquest of Cool: business culture, counterculture, and the rise of hip hop consumerism. University of Chicago Press, 1997. 169-183.

John Harrison, Hiding The Fast Food Hurt

Hiding the Fast Food Hurt

As the creators of Burger King’s new Steakhouse Burger and Hardee’s new Thickburger fully embrace their traditional identities as taste bud friendly yet health toxic members of the food service industry, the minds behind one rather similar provider have recently launched a strategic effort to distance themselves from the rest of the fast food industry. Although a quick glance through Wendy’s entire list of menu options, and their corresponding nutritional values, would still appropriately yield the classification of stereotypical fast food joint, the latest advertisement campaign released by the company attempts to imply otherwise. Likely responding to the public’s growing awareness of the obesity crisis in America, Wendy’s Corporation recently released four new television commercials. Each advertisement employs tactics illuminated and explained by author’s Colson Whitehead and Vance Packard in an attempt to “hide the hurt” and establish a non-fast food aura surrounding what is, underneath it all, still very much a fast food restaurant chain.

In Apex Hides The Hurt, Whitehead focuses heavily on marketers’ never-ending struggle to disguise or conceal the undesirable truths surrounding a product by establishing popular and appealing facades around the product, no matter how phony and dishonest. The most direct and important illustration of such cover-up lies in the description of his unnamed protagonist’s injured toe:

His toe…was a grisly sight. The…stubbings had taken their cruel toll, and this morning the nail came off with the adhesive bandage…fresh blood seeped up out of the skin…but the adhesive bandage looked as fresh as the day he had put it on. The wound had been leaking blood, pus, whatever, but it had all been sopped up by the bandage…He put a new Apex on the injury. It looked as good as new. (Whitehead 150)

A rather unconcealed allegory, the bandage illustrates the ability of a clever marketing scheme to “hide” the unattractive qualities of a product for sale. The “blood, pus, whatever” are not healed or changed by the bandage, just as the actual product is not changed by the name or marketing techniques that are applied. The only changes in each situation are entirely external and appearance-related. Whitehead continues to illuminate this point during the conversation between the protagonist and his former boss, Roger Tipple. When the main character asks “‘What about, ‘Always be true to the product’?’”, Tipple answers rather bluntly, “‘Wise up’” (Whitehead 146). Here again, the author effectively demonstrates and satirizes the level of acceptance in the advertising community to sacrifice the “truth” of a product in order to sell it. However, this acceptance is defended by the protagonist in the early stages of the novel, where contrary to Shakespearean literary argument, he explains that “a rose by any other name would wilt fast, smell like bitter almonds, God help you if the thorns broke the skin” (Whitehead 5). Though these claims by the protagonist are of course outrageous- the actual flower would not change in the least - they convey the author’s pity regarding advertisers’ potential to skew the public’s perception of product truths.

The manner in which current Wendy’s television commercials are aimed at concealing the restaurant’s realistic, but perhaps decreasingly attractive, classification as just another fast food joint demonstrate this concept of “hiding the hurt” (Whitehead). First, the image and aura that the company once embraced but now wishes to detach itself from must be established. This poses little challenge, given that the typical, modern fast food commercial is undeniably familiar to the common consumer. Such advertisements consist of multiple, super-sized burger patties dripping with and coated in grease, smashed in between two sides of a bun, and enveloped by toppings such as bacon and fried onions that tumble off the sides. These burgers are usually shown accompanied by their long-time partners in crime, their value meal sidekicks: the hefty box of french fries and a towering cup of soda. The consumers, most often male, are constantly in a hurry. Though stereotypical, such an advertisement reflects a sense of acceptance of one’s place in the food universe, in that these companies are ultimately acknowledging that they are indeed part of the fast food industry - rather than, as Colson Whitehead would likely say, slapping an “Apex bandage” on that undeniable truth and pretending that their services fit the mold of some other brand of business.

Wendy’s, however, has recently adopted this latter strategy. In an advertising campaign compliant with the notions of Vance Packard and exemplified by the aforementioned satirical elements of Colson Whitehead’s novel, this stereotypical burgers-first, value-meal, dollar-menu fast food chain attempts to provoke the idea that they are much more than the brother of McHardees King – and that ultimately, they should no longer be classified as a fast food restaurant. Though this is utterly untrue, the advertisers present an outstanding case. For starters, there are a few common threads that pervade the ad campaign – none more obvious than the company’s latest slogan, “Its waaaay better than fast food. Its Wendy’s”, that concludes each thirty second spot. By declaring their superiority to “fast food” in general, the company simultaneously, indirectly declares that it cannot possibly be part of the collection “fast food” to which it is being compared. One cannot be better than oneself. This tactic exemplifies Packard’s claim in The Depth Approach that advertisers’ “efforts to channel our…purchasing decisions and our thought processes...take place beneath our level of awareness”

(Packard 3).

Another theme that strays from the normal fast food aura is the presentation of the product in the commercials. Atypically, none of the items featured in the new campaign – “fresh never frozen burgers”, “chicken go wraps”, and “premium fish fillet sandwich” – are ever shown accompanied by fries or a drink, though all three come offered in a value meal on the menu. This follows Packard’s idea that “appeals” in the world of consumerism are, as accomplished by the “Apex bandages” in Whitehead’s novel, often “hidden” from sight (Packard 5). Furthermore, with the exception of the “chicken go wrap” commercial, there is often an atypical sense that consumers are invited to be laid-back, hurry-free when they’re at Wendy’s. For one, the music chosen for the other three commercials is slow and peaceful – there is no sense of hurry. Likewise, the behavior of the characters reflects a slower, relaxed pace. In one commercial the woman slowly picks at her fish sandwich, eating it little by little. In another, a father and son sit down and joke around with one another over lunch. There is no sense of urgency that is otherwise typically associated with drive-thru service and order-at-the counter locations. This is much different that the depiction of working men wolfing down huge Hardee’s hamburgers during lunch break or the Burger King customer who impatiently crashes his car into another in order to more quickly order his Steakburger. This point leads into the strategic repeated use of females (thin females) instead of males in the Wendy’s commercials, which further separates the restaurant from the ordinary. In the advertisement for both the new fish sandwich and the chicken go-wraps, not a single man makes an appearance. Both consumers featured are women, as is the voice for the narration. Even the newly added animation of the red-headed Wendy in the sign cleverly implements her as yet another female character, rather just part of the logo.

The dialogue and narration of the commercials also support Wendy’s separation from the rest of the fast food market. Lines in the commercials such as “they’re not strips, like some other wraps”, “fresh never frozen…who else can say that?”, and “if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it” result in the idea that Wendy’s is nothing like the other famous fast food joints, and that they lack the “pus, blood” (Whitehead 150) that in this case comes in the forms of frozen patties, strips instead of breasts, and mystery meat. Similarly, the conversation between father and son in one commercial is stocked with terms like, “vow”, “dedication”, “commitment”, and “promise”, evoking the ideals of, for example, a family-owned, small-time business – the way Wendy’s once originated. Attempting to portray themselves as such today, however, is a perfect example of the “manipulation” Packard refers to with regards to appealing to consumers in current society (Packard 5).

Writes Matthew Boyle of Fortune Magazine, “Two-thirds of American adults are now officially overweight, and the fast-food industry has been targeted as the primary villain in the obesity crisis...It has been slapped with numerous lawsuits on behalf of overweight kids and has been the subject of powerful polemics in the media” (Boyle 1). With the reputation of the fast food market plummeting as result of growing health considerations in this country, some quick eat restaurants have marched on, continuing to flaunt the “pus and blood” - the greasy, fatty, on-the-go monster burgers with the works that have made these companies so (in)famous. Wendy’s, on the other hand, has opted to “manipulate” (Packard 5) the public by “hiding the hurt” (Whitehead) of their product realities. Instead of an “Apex bandage” (51), advertisers have used a series of atypical commercial elements to cover the eyes of the consumer, and create the impression that Wendy’s has separated itself from the fast food industry.

Link to final two commercials: http://wendys.com/ads/

Works Cited

Boyle, Matthew. "Can You Really Make Fast Food Healthy?" Fortune os150 (2004):

Packard, Vance. "The Depth Approach." The Hidden Persuaders. Pocket, 1984.

Whitehead, Colson. Apex Hides the Hurt. New York: Anchor Books, 2006.

Jonathan Lamb, Vitamin Water

(Watch the ad above first, try it)

Try reading this whole essay in one breath through a mirror while standing on your head. Try Opulence and Consumerism. Try it. Vitamin Water ads, particularly, XXX (pronounced Triple-X) ads are based on risk in the implausible. They dare the viewer to do something outlandish and XXX, by juxtaposition, is also risky. It is a challenge, and the next most daring thing to “giving an Amazonian howler monkey a bikini wax” is to try XXX. At their most base levels, the ads are a dare. By the way, are you still holding your breath? Didn’t think so, but that is not the point. The product’s appeal is based on the challenge not the completion of the challenge, or even the possibility of the challenge. The ads are memorable for their shortness and for the uniqueness of their dares and because of this they accomplish their task.

The ads target a mainstream audience, but unlike other mainstream ads it relies on a natural proclivity towards risk. It is the enticement of a lifestyle. Vitamin Water focuses not as other drinks with supplemented vitamins do for health, but the vitamins in Vitamin Water are a stimulant that will enable any drinker to pursue their own challenges. Taking Opulence and Consumerism will not enable a person to hold their breath for the entirety of this essay, nor enable one to read it backwards and upside down, but the framing suggests that it might. It is the juxtaposition that imposes a placebo effect. However, none of this answers the main question. Are these ads in response to culture or does culture respond to them, in turn leading people to desire to take more risk. The answer is that the ads are a response.

Vitamin Water cannot create an inclination towards risk, but it can bring it out. Something which is as primal as a challenge cannot create a reaction for it is an innate response. But why does a viewer feel compelled to take the challenge? It is because risk is associated with coolness and success. Furthermore, there is an aura of edginess that lends itself to Vitamin Water. It is an antiestablishment tone that has been around since the 60’s, but still felt today and drawn upon through their image. There are hangover jokes on Revive labels, innuendos on XXX and Kelly Clarkson song lyrics on Focus. It is mainstream, but on the edge. Not the fringe and weird, but the edge and cool. It is an attitude that success is born out of, an attitude that everyone wants, but few have. Drinking this product is that chance to live on the edge, to be on top of the world alone, and to accomplish things which no one else can.

The flavors of Vitamin Water are not flavors, but needs. They are the innate drives in every person that long to be satisfied. The needs that Vitamin Water addresses vary from hangovers, to pornography, to ADD and exhaustion. Take a guess at which need XXX addresses. Vitamin Water takes a formerly taboo phrase and uses it as a flavor. Talking about this product like this might beg the question, what kind of sick person needs their pornography fix satisfied so badly that a drink is the only relief? This is a valid question, but Vitamin Water is not about pornography. It is about consuming the dangerous and taboo in a safe environment. It is an illusion of danger found in single-servings. Plus, Glacéau “only named this drink xxx because it has the power of triple antioxidants to help keep you healthy and fight free radicals.”

Glacéau is now a part of the Coca-Cola conglomerate. Coke for generations has showed people how to be cool and the addition of Glacéau is no exception to their heritage. The company’s website is the opposite of a cut and dry corporate website. It is a fusion of information and entertainment, highlighting Vitamin Water’s personality in all lowercase writing and playful phrases such as “well spare you the cheesy “on hold” music” and “party of 1? your table is almost ready” [sic] while the site is loading. Their ads have since moved on from their five-second spots on television to full thirty or sixty second ads. Prior to signing prominent athletes and artists, ads were focused on individual varieties rather than the line as a whole. The product has moved from obscurity to prominence and its ads reflect this recognition. However, the ads that Vitamin Water began with are still part of their company and website. Clicking the XXX bottle for more information will trigger the ad from above to play and each flavor has its own ad to go along with it. The ads are tailored to match the characteristics of the flavor and there is even an option to create your own ad of the same format (link is at the bottom). Clearly, even though the ads are no longer on television, they are still an intricate part of Vitamin Water’s persona.

Vitamin Water has taken on a personality of its own from advertising. It is not a drink in a store refrigerator, but a thing waiting to be drank and read. Its television ads pose the question of what Vitamin Water is and the labels hold the answer. The sides of the drink read as person would speak to a friend and drive home the point that this drink is for the people that catch the jokes on it. Vitamin Water is not for the person who loves conformity, but for those who despise it. Adorno and Horkheimer talk about artists “who belong to the industry long before it displays them” (Adorno and Horkheimer) Kelly Clarkson is, ironically enough, the epitome of an artist who is owned by her industry. However, this is something that works for Vitamin Water rather than against it. Their image is based on the individual within industry. “Spontaneity” is what is stolen first from careerists, but Vitamin Water is what allows a break from the monotony of professional life (Adorno and Horkheimer). It makes anything possible. There is still an aspect that is hard to grasp. It is that Vitamin Water is a multi-billion dollar, national company that also supplies people who do not buy into this antiestablishment attitude. It is that Vitamin Water is the illusion of rebellion. It is the safety net, an insurance policy for people. XXX does not cause people to be spontaneous, or even mean that its drinkers should be, but that they can. It even mimics alcohol labels’ “Drink Responsibly” warning by displaying that is was “made for the center for responsible hydration (aka glacéau)” [sic]. Vitamin Water is the drink for those who know what irresponsible hydration is.

Vitamin Water has many look-a-likes but there are none which possess the image that Vitamin Water has adopted. Vitamin Water is chosen over imitators such as Antioxidant Water made by Snapple for the same reason that Coke is drank over RC. They are essentially the same product with a key difference in marketing. Klein comments on how logos take over brands or the how the “alligator...swallowed the shirt.” (Klein) In this case it is not the alligator that has swallowed Vitamin Water, but Vitamin Water's image that has swallowed the product. Vitamin Water sponsors individuals, not leagues as other major brands do, but this is planned. It adds to their rebel persona, that none of the sports or genres of music could do Vitamin Water justice. It is about outstanding individuals who are capable of anything. Sponsoring rigid corporations such as the NFL, or NBA would be everything that Vitamin Water could never stand for. It is why ads do not challenge someone to run a 4.2 forty-yard dash, but to “Try teaching tai chi to a community of aging nudists.” (Below) The ads neglect to cater directly to athletes because even athletes are a commodity. Commodities are replaceable but an individual is not. Individuals can “Try swimming the Atlantic after just swimming the Atlantic.” Individual branding maintains Vitamin Water’s image.

The ads for XXX are very simplistic. Both simply have a background split in two colors corresponding with the colors on the label and a picture of the bottle at the bottom. The word “try” never leaves the left half of the screen and is said out loud three times while Vitamin Water is never mentioned. The ad contains no more than a person could absorb in five seconds, and each flavor has at least one ad specificallyfor it. This series of ads thrived on the product’s relative obscurity, but possesses more than pure shock value. The ad represents the trait which each flavor will give the drinker. Moreover, each flavor forms an identity from their ad. XXX’s identity is inappropriateness and risk. Its personality is the reason that people will continue to drink it over similar substitutes. This personality is what draws a new drinker in or to a new flavor. The flavor itself will keep a drinker loyal to it, but when a need arises, flavor will take a backseat to function. Function is what Vitamin Water has that other products do not. It is practically a drug. However, it is a drug based primarily on the placebo effect. It is based on the mentality of the drinker that the flavors are more than different colors, but different compounds.

Vitamin Water is not the creator of a risk-based mentality, but a perpetuator of it. Above anything, drinking Vitamin Water is not about the fulfillment of any challenge, but a mentality to be able to do anything. It is 591ml of knowledge that the drinker does not have a stagnant life, but one that can not be predicted. It is the ability to at any time to step out from the monotonous everyday life and do something extraordinary.

Make Your Own Ad- http://www.vitaminwater.com/tryit/

Sources

Adorno, Theodor and Horkheimer, Max. The culture industry: enlightenment as mass deception.

Klein, Naomi. The Brand Expands: How the Logo Grapped Center Stage.

Vitamin Water. 2008. April 22, 2008. http://www.vitaminwater.com/

Danny Budasoff, Apple’s "Get a Mac"

It proves highly difficult to showcase all the features of an Apple computer or laptop in a 30-second television advertisement. Take for example the new MacBook Pro, with “2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo,” “2 GB memory,” “200GB hard drive,” “NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB,” and its many other features or technological advancements (Apple Online Store). Because these physical hardware components can also be found in non-Apple computers, the war for consumers and the advertisements that target these, are to be found on a different level. Instead of focusing on the hardware aspect of computing, the advertisements bring to the forefront the operating system, of the software that runs the powerful hardware under the Apple box. Instead of focusing on which offers the most gizmos and technical-sounding features, Apple gets to brass tacks and pigeon-holes Microsoft’s Windows operating system as clunky, antiquated, and most importantly, unreliable. Apple, on the other hand, portrays itself as the laid-back operating system that gets things done smoothly, effortlessly, and is aesthetically pleasing all at same time. Apple, in essence, is the alternative that works, is hip, and more technologically advanced. The “Get a Mac” approach appears to have paid off, in part because Apple’s market share has grown from a level of under 2% to approximately 8% since the advent of these advertisements (Bulik).


The “Get a Mac” advertising campaign began in earnest in May of 2006 and features two actors, Justin Long and John Hodgman, against a white backdrop (Macworld). It is important to pay attention to the calculation behind this seeming simplicity—two men and nothing else—because it reiterates the “getting-to-brass-tacks” attack approach of the advertisement. In these 30-second spots, the viewer is weighing the man (and the operating system he symbolizes) against one another, and nothing else. Which operating system can get the job done (the best)? In each “Get a Mac” television advertisement, the answer is self-evident, as portrayed by the actors.


In the advertisements, Justin Long stands for Apple (or “Mac”) and John Hodgman represents Microsoft’s Windows (or “PC”). The actor portraying Windows is always dressed in a suit and all wound up for a reason or another; the actor portraying Apple’s operating system is dressed in modern and relaxed clothing, giving off the impression of being laid-back and cool, for he is always keeping his composure as Windows brings to light problem after problem it is currently experiencing. The actor portraying Windows is a middle-aged, slightly obese white male; the actor portraying Apple is skinny, hip, 20-something years old, hands in his pockets, not geeky but technologically savvy.


A common theme in these “Get a Mac” advertisements is that the creators direct sharp, well-pointed jabs at what are perceived to be Windows’ biggest flaws: security, viruses, blue screens of death, driver problems, the need to reboot, and inoperability at given times. As the advertising campaign has progressed, the attacks have gotten sharper; whereas before Apple might let Windows do all of its self-destructing and crumbling for the audience, the advertisements have become more scathing and darkly humorous such as “Don’t give up on Vista!” posted to a podium and having Windows attend clinical psychological counseling to help it understand why exactly it underperforms so badly.


The “Get a Mac” campaign, which compels its viewers to “get a (new) life” when it comes to computing, arguably operates under the same principles that Thomas Frank detected for Pepsi, in the context of the Cola Wars. In all practicality, both Microsoft and Apple operating systems can perform word processing, create spreadsheets, browse the Internet, and many other functions. The clearest and most significant way in which Apple could make headway in terms of market share and attracting new business is to differentiate itself and attack all the flaws Microsoft’s operating system has, and has had for many years. In Thomas Frank’s “Carnival and Cola: Hip Versus Square in the Cola Wars,” we come across a quote that closely matches the Apple advertising campaign strategy: “one of the best ways to separate our product from the competition was to differentiate our users” (Frank 170). Applied to the Apple-Microsoft war, it is clear that the objective of Apple’s advertising campaign is to say “Microsoft Windows users are squares, clunky, antiquated, and held bondage to tradition” while “Apple users are slick, hip, cutting edge, and technologically savvy.” In essence, Apple is demanding of its viewers to break out of their false consciousness which holds that Microsoft’s Windows is the be-all and end-all just because, for example, most people already use Windows or they’ve been accustomed to using the operating system at work, at school, or on friends’ computers. Frank saw the importance of appealing to a potential consumer’s personality, and clinching to an overarching trait to stand for the product (Frank 170); Apple not only provided itself and Microsoft’s Windows with a personality, but is also able to convey to viewers that the Apple operating system serves a utilitarian purpose, in a way Windows cannot. Apple is conveying to viewers that the shackles of Windows, regardless of whether they have grown comfortable with it over the years, should be broken in favor of Apple’s operating system because it gets the job done best and is a more sophisticated piece of software than the clunky Windows upgrades like 95, 98, XP, and Vista which contain the same problems and issues, merely with some marginally improved aesthetics. Just like Pepsi was considered the official soft drink of young America (Frank 172), so too Apple has redefined itself as the operating system of cool and technologically savvy America.





If we analyze a couple of “Get a Mac” advertisements, we can pick out key elements that advance the notion that Apple performs superbly and is garnering a tidal wave of support from a new generation of loyal Apple customers. For example, the “Podium” advertisement, one of the more recent ads, features Microsoft’s Windows speaking at a podium through a microphone that distorts and adds noise to his voice. According to Windows, people are leaving him behind because the operating system isn’t “working the way [the users] want it to” and users are even resorting to downgrading from Vista to XP. Windows then states that if his users are having problems with getting peripheral hardware to work with Vista, the problem isn’t Vista, but rather the peripheral, and Vista users should just purchase new peripherals and keep the operating system (even though it is the root of the problem). This is key because here Windows is portrayed not only as incompetent and overbearing, but also as delirious in its demand that its users stick to what doesn’t work and deal with the problems it causes on their own. The “Get a Mac” advertisement creators also feed the Windows guy a line that states “Mac's New Leopard operating system has new features??? I say IGNORE THEM!” This line is important because it goes along with the consciousness-raising Apple is trying to get at—that is, getting Windows users to see the facts and not stick to the old merely because it is old and tried. In other words, “give Apple a chance and you will not regret it” is the tagline. In furtherance of Apple’s redefining and positioning itself within the Apple-Microsoft operating system war, we also notice that Windows is being portrayed as “green with envy.” If we look closely, the banner on the podium is green, and the pin on his suit jacket is also green. The “green” message (as opposed to red, white, and blue) here is clear: Microsoft Windows is jealous of Apple’s operating system, and Microsoft Windows itself KNOWS that it is inferior to Apple. Which begs the question, if Microsoft knows it is inferior, Microsoft users should come around and give Apple a try. Lastly, Microsoft Windows mangles a well-known rhetorical question from an American hero, President John F. Kennedy, by stating “Ask not what Vista can do for you, ask what you can buy for Vista!” Not only is Microsoft Windows being irrational and being blinded by himself, he is also being unpatriotic or un-American to an extent by mixing and twisting a fallen President’s words with what viewers would perceive as a irrationality to the extreme.





In the “Misprint” advertisement, Windows is scathingly ridiculed and portrayed as a sour loser because Apple beat it at its own game. In this advertisement, Microsoft Windows dials up “PC World,” a magazine which primarily covers Windows personal computers. Here, in a bitter twist of irony for Windows, he is having to call the editors of the magazine over their finding that “the fastest Windows Vista notebook we tested this year is a Mac,” which proves to be utterly incomprehensible to Microsoft’s Windows. Windows states that it is “impossible” and “[going] against the laws of nature” and bewildered asks himself “how can a Mac run Vista faster than a PC?” Lastly, out of desperation, Windows comically and pathetically tries to disguise its voice as Apple's and lies about the article. This shows Microsoft Windows' desperation, and like a ship sinking at sea, grasping at straws in a vain attempt to save itself. Whereas most of the attacks centered on the Windows operating system of PCs, Apple opens up a new wound by attacking the hardware of PCs as well, in essence besieging PCs from all sides: software, hardware, and appearance. According to Vance Packard, consumers do not merely “buy products,” instead, they “purchase the promise [associated] with the specific product” and the image associated with a given product (Packard 8-9). The link with this advertisement is much similar, Apple not only gives you performance in terms of hardware and a good user (and operable) experience in terms of operating system, it not only is cool, hip, and cutting edge, the promise that Apple promises to its customers vastly exceeds that of Microsoft. These two examples of “Get a Mac” advertisements serve to show the confluence of a) the personality of a product, b) the external appearance of a product, and c) the actual performance of the product.


Apple Online Store. "Select your MacBook Pro." Apple Store. 2008. < store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro >.

Bulik, Beth S. "Mac Owners Just Like, Well, the Mac Guy." Advertising Age. 2008. < www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/auth/checkbrowser.do?ipcounter=1&cookieState=0&rand=0.902771769469113&bhcp=1 >.

Frank, Thomas. The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Moren, Dan. "Analysis: The many of faces of Apple advertising." Macworld. 2007. < www.macworld.com/article/131075/2007/12/appleads.html >.

Packard, Vance. “The Depth Approach.” The Hidden Persuaders. New York: Pocket Books, 1984.

Sabrina Abramovitz, The Making of A Legend: Michael Jordan

When it comes to marketing and mythology, Nike is amongst the best in the world, an attribute they have earned after hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial expenditure. But Nike’s efforts and resources have created a global product, enormous brand-name selling power, and some of the most successful commercial campaigns in history. In fact, the company believes that it has mastered consumerism to the point where it can now change the way it now operates. Nike President Mark Parker declared that changing the way people shop is a goal for his company, as well as expanding business even more and reaching $23 billion in global revenue (Skidmore). A huge part of that success and the future plans of Nike Inc. has been their Jordan brand subsidiary. Jordan’s enormous success coupled with Nike’s marketing expertise has transformed the man and the company into the most recognizable brand names on the planet. Michael Jordan has reached a status comparable to a deity to many sports fans across the world. With the combination of superior athletic talent and commercialization, Michael Jordan has transcended the game of basketball and become an icon of victory. The evolution of campaign advertisements and the evolution of what Nike has turned Michael Jordan into is “legendary.” Nike’s enormous financial success is the result of the combination of strong advertising strategies and Michael Jordan’s elite status within his sport and society.

The Nike Corporation began mystifying Michael Jordan in 1988 when Jordan collaborated with Spike Lee to produce a series of commercials promoting his Air Jordan line of shoes.
In this advertisement, Jordan is made out to be “the best player in the universe” as stated by Mars (Spike Lee). By crowning Jordan with this title, Nike is elevating Jordan’s status by making this claim. Also, this is the first step in making Michael Jordan more than just an icon. The commercial focuses on Jordan’s shoes, after all they are what Nike says makes him the best player. Even with Jordan continually denying that the shoes are responsible for his greatness, Nike concludes with the statement: “Mr. Jordan’s opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Nike, Inc.” Jordan’s ability to dominate the sport of basketball is already known and now he is speaking to the consumer about how he is able to achieve that status. Nike is using Jordan’s celebrity status to influence the consumer into buying Air Jordans, which are more than a product, but a promise, proposed by Vance Packard in The Hidden Persuaders, or more specifically, in this case, selling the skills needed to play with the same talent as Michael (Packard 8). Air Jordans offer not just a shoe, but a pledge to its consumers that they can achieve greatness by sporting these particular sneakers. Packard further asserts that “[r]esults of their [motivational operators] maneuvers indicate they are still quite a way from being infallible” (Packard 9). Indeed, a shoe cannot lend the necessary skills to a person in order to make them the best but by using Michael Jordan’s status as a celebrity, the ad is using the power of persuasion. In addition, by evoking Jordan’s reputation as a great basketball player, Nike is using the celebrity status to brand the sport. In “The Brand Expands,” Naomi Klein states that this is the first step for Nike in transcending sporting events and athletes and becoming the “very definition of sports itself” (Klein). Similarly, this commercial is allowing Jordan to transcend his sport and become a symbol of greatness. Michael Jordan’s evolution from being a celebrity within the sport to completely transcending and embodying the sport becomes evident in later commercials that will soon be discussed.

Continuing to use his influence, Michael Jordan’s product line moved from selling just shoes to selling all types of sports apparel. The evolution of the advertisements used to sell his product no longer include Jordan himself displaying his product or promoting it directly, but instead others replicating his mannerisms and wearing the Jordan apparel.
It is here that his influence has become undeniably recognizable as his mentality and play have permeated all aspects of the sport. Based on the older Jordan commercials, like the one with Spike Lee, basketball players of all ages have learned to look up to Michael Jordan and to mimic his abilities. In this commercial, every athlete’s dream to elevate their level of play to that of Michael Jordan is achieved. The commercial is a series of scenes showing players of different ages, ethnicities, and genders mimicking Jordan’s signature moves as they overcome their opponents. This further emphasizes the message of the previous commercial: that by buying Jordan products, the consumer can typify Jordan’s qualities and emulate his play. The only glimpse of Jordan that we see is at the end, where he is nodding approvingly. The use of diverse characters achieving Jordan’s success provides Nike with the chance to illustrate how anyone has the potential for this kind of greatness and allows for anyone to feel as though they have some of Jordan’s ability within them as well. The advertisement brings the seemingly transcendent qualities of Jordan down to Earth, and into the hands of the consumer.

Yet, the idea of offering more than the product is still woven into this advertisement. Everything is Jordan’s: the shoes, the clothes, the moves. Jordan’s influence on basketball, along with his character, influenced more than just the game; it influenced culture. Thomas Frank, author of The Conquest of Cool, supports the idea that companies do not just sell a product, but a way of life (Frank 171). Frank analyzed the effects of “The Cola Wars” and how Pepsi’s marketing campaign wasn’t trying to sell a product, but to establish an ideal and attitude that the consumer could strive for and relate themselves to (Frank 170). That is precisely the goal of Nike in their Jordan advertisements. Nike takes ideals and principles that are prevalent within the world of sports, and then markets these concepts through the ultimate example of success: Michael Jordan. At the conclusion of the commercial there is the statement: “Let your game speak.” With this statement, Nike attempts to create an image for the consumer of their product, rather than the product itself, which is exactly what Pepsi did with their Pepsi People campaign (Frank 170). The result is that with the attitude promoted Nike becomes a concept or image that the consumer identifies with, and through their consumption, the consumer attempts to “make a statement about the wearer’s… personality” (Frank 170). For Nike, by using these strategies it has resulted in a loyal and expansive consumer base that symbolizes triumph.

Nike’s success with the advertisement of Michael Jordan comes from the fact that he is the unchallenged paradigm for basketball and represents the ultimate goal of all athletes within the sport. There is nothing above Michael Jordan in the sport of basketball. In the most recent Nike advertisement of Michael Jordan’s, he discredits the perception that his success came with ease and was the result of pure, God-given talent.
The advertisement employs many of the same mechanisms that the previous advertisements did. They acknowledge, and even showcase, his successes but reduce him to the status of human in order to associate him more closely to the consumers buying his product. But the commercial ends with the words: “Become Legendary” and the commercial suggests that with the right tools, anyone can achieve Jordan’s status. This commercial subconsciously influences the consumer by offering the promise of greatness, or legendary status. As Packard describes: “in the buying situation, the consumer generally acts emotionally and compulsively, unconsciously reacting to the image and designs which in the subconscious are associated with the product” (Packard 8). The commercial is highly inspirational and offers a blueprint on how to “become legendary” by revealing that basketball was not a God-given gift for Michael, rather “something he worked for every single day of his life.” The promise is there, and people will buy Nike products because of it.

Nike turned Michael Jordan into basketball, and in turn he has catapulted the company into a position as the global powerhouse when it comes to sports apparel. He embodies success within basketball, and is idolized by athletes in all sports. Nike has obviously acknowledged the enormous impact and success of the Jordan campaign and has taken steps to secure and develop his commercial heir. Lebron James was signed to an enormous contract and is marketed the same way as Jordan with much of the same success.

Look familiar?

Works Cited

Frank, Thomas. “ Carnival and Cola: Hip Versus in the Cola Wars”. The Conquest of Cool.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1997. 107-183.

Klein, Naomi. “The Brand Expands: How the Logo Grabbed Center Stage.” No Logo.
Macmillan. 2002.

Packard, Vance. “ The Depth Approach”. The Hidden Persuaders. Pocket Books. 1970.
3-113.

Skidmore, Sarah. “Nike to change shopping experience.” The Boston Globe. Mar. 2007
Associated Press. 1 April 2008.

Thomas Remy "Isn't it nice when things just work?"

Isn’t It Nice When Things Just Work?



Honda Motor Company limited is the largest engine maker in the world, producing fourteen million combustion engines a year. Founded in 1948 this Japanese based company began as a motorcycle manufacturer that quickly moved on to manufacturing cars, trucks and other mobile technologies. Compared to the other Japanese automakers, Honda is relatively small however they continue to sell their products because of their high quality and innovation. The company commits to protecting the environment and enhancing safety by accelerating their efforts to create fuel efficient, or even hydrogen powered fuel cell cars. The Honda is also renowned for one of the most fuel-efficient car companies in the automotive industry and a leader in the development of cutting age technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. High quality of their products and protecting the environment, while keeping the cost of their cars down is important to this company. One of the main products in the Honda automobile line is the Honda Accord. In 2003, in London, an advertisement for the new Honda Accord at the time was created. This ad, titled, “Cogs” attempted to revolutionize the advertising campaign of the Honda by presenting their new car in a way in which no one had ever seen before.
Conventional car advertisements are all the same. Fast cars driving through winding roads in the mountains, big pick up trucks barreling through a mud pit, or a family riding along in a conveniently sized mini van, are all themes that over done in car advertisements. These types of ads that people see every day do not help distinguish one brand of car from the other, and can not entice audiences to choose their product over the competitors. Honda decided to change the conventional automobile advertisement by creating something that people had rarely seen before. “Cogs” is the outcome of this goal, to show audiences how different Honda’s car is than all the other competitors. It makes people think twice about what they have seen rather than pass through minds without getting noticed. With their advertisement Honda is able to rise above the others, and present their product in a way that is appealing to the rest of the world. In an all white room, with a white floor, a circular object begins rolling down a sloped surface. It then hits multiple other circular objects to begin a chain reaction. What continues from then on is a two minute long, chain reaction sequence of events occurring from the arrangement of the various parts of the car throughout the room. The chain reaction of events continues, showing all of the new features of the Honda Accord. The advertisement ends when the parts from one car, completely disassembled, end up locking the power doors on another fully assembled Honda Accord. The hatch back of the automobile then closes, tipping the car off a balanced trailer and into a final pose for the camera. At the end of the ad a voice appears for the first and only time leaving the thought, “Isn’t it nice when things just…work?”
This product, the new Honda Accord is certainly advertised in an unconventional way. Rather than dramatic or beautiful scenery, “Cogs” is filmed in a white studio. This advertisement has transformed the line of Honda cars because people are beginning to recognize their capabilities as an automobile manufacturer. This innovative advertisement makes people think about all of the things that go into a car. Every part is laid out, and has a specific purpose in the ad. The same is true when the car is completely assembled. Every part has its specific place and function, and acts out that function with precision and perfection. It is the perfect movement of all of these parts in the ad that make it attractive to potential car buyers. Not only do the precise movements show how extraordinary the new Accord is, but it also shows the new features and luxuries of the new model. In the middle of “Cogs” water is sprayed onto the windshield which is lying on the ground. As soon as the water hits the windshield, the windshield wipers begin to move across the room. Water activated windshield wipers were an important new innovation for the new Accord. Similarly, power doors and windows are opened and closed by tiny movements and contact with other parts. Presenting their new car in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement, while showing off the new luxuries of the new automobile is important to the overall success of the ad. The way in which these cars are advertised is not only new an innovative but, it makes people want to learn more about Honda automobiles.
Although this advertisement is extremely interesting, the things that are not present in the ad make it even more fascinating. For one, not a single human or human voice appears throughout the commercial. Only at the end when the car is in its final pose does a voice finally appear, saying only one sentence. The absence of humans from this ad goes along with Marx’s idea that the laborer or producer is written out of the equation when we fetishize commodities in his work “Capital.” A commodity is an article or trade of commerce that is produced from some sort of service. This makes the Honda Accord an example of a commodity. When Marx says that people fetishize commodities he means that human attributes are given to these commodities. Private individuals or groups of individuals who carry out their work independently of each other make commodities. The total of all of the laborers work is not seen because producers do not come into contact with each other until the products are exchanged. When they are exchanged the producer does not ever have to do anything besides present his product. Production and consumption are experiences between person and commodity and not person to person (Marx 44). This means that the social relations are done by commodities themselves in the marketplace, and the person who made that commodity is completely absent. In order to exchange things on the market the individuality of that thing is taken away from it.
This means that the labor that went in to that specific thing is often overlooked when a commodity is exchanged, most often for money. Since the laborer or producer is absent from the exchange process for the most part, the commodity carries an appearance that will help it get exchanged. This human like ability to carry and appearance and sell itself is like a fetishism of commodities. The object that is being exchanged is looked at more than the people that actually participated in the making of that objects. In the case of a car, we look only at the car and not at the parts or the labor that went into making that car. This is an aspect of the commodities production that is obscured in the way it is portrayed in this advertisement. In the commercial it is only parts. No humans helping, no laborer, and no producer are present throughout the commercial. Everything is happening on its own, and is happening perfectly. Consumers never actually see the means of production of one of the new Honda Accord. They are made to think that all of the parts are capable of operating on their own. Cars are just there on screen, and consumers never get to see the labor behind it. Although car production usually takes place in a large factory by large machines, there is some human labor taking place behind the scenes of a mass production car assembly line. The two cars that were used in the filming of “Cogs” were actually two of six hand built Honda Accords in the world at the time. As consumers we need to stop taking things for granted, and we need to consider each things function (Barthes). Like Murray from “White Noise,” we must concentrate on each individual things meaning and how they function as signs. Although the Honda Accord is much less expensive than say a BMW, both of these automobiles share the same functional utility. They perform the same job but they are thought about differently. The prestige of the BMW usually outweighs the performance and environmentally friendly Honda even though they are both just means of transportation. These cars have taken on new identities. They are no longer means of transportation but have become fetishized. “Cogs” does not have any humans in the ad and this suggests that cars as a commodity are fetishized.
The new Honda Accord is supposed to show a progression of Americans from environmentally unfriendly, unreliable automobiles. The advertisement “Cogs” is an attempt to show the innovation and the new features that Honda has introduced with their new Accord but it also presents a deeper meaning. Automobiles are commodities that have taken on their own identities as Marx said in his work. Humans, and producers and laborers are overlooked and absent from the market today because of the fetishization of commodities.
Marx, Karl. Capital. London: A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, 1859.
Barthes, Roland. "Mythologies." Les Lettres Nouvelles (1957).