I picked this ad because I feel that it demonstrates what we read. To begin, it uses the appeal to popularity through a celebrity. While not everyone may like Heinz ketchup, if they are drawn to Ed Sheeran, they may be more inclined to purchase this specific brand of ketchup.
Along with that, the ad exaggerates the waiter and chefs response to Ed using ketchup. I think that if this really happened, while people might look at him strange, the reactions would not be dramatic. This emphasizes the fact that Ed Sheeran is going against norms and we should follow him.
Lastly, this ad uses a celebrity, but makes him seem relatable to the average person. While some of us may dine in a setting that is pictured here, most of us don’t. Most of us dine in a place where ketchup is already on the table. Because this ad portrays Ed Sheeran preferring to dine with Heinz ketchup rather than his “farm to table blah blah blah,” we are more likely to feel like we can relate to him, and therefore want to buy the product.
I think that making Ed Sheeran seem like an average guy is appealing in a lot of commercials. I know that I’ve seen Johnsonville commercials where they do the same thing, but instead it’s everyday people, and it’s still just as entertaining. It also makes the viewer feel as if there’s someone out there just like them.
What I find cool about this ad is the way it is set up in the way Ed Sheeran dmed Heinz with this idea and its narrated through his voice as a voice overlay instead of talking as actors in the commercial. It also does a good job of overemphasizing the ketchup, while showing a complete lack of care about the fancy foods. This convinces the audience there is something special and important about Heinz ketchup, which is a stray from the norm of caring more about fancy food.
This is an effective advertising campaign because it uses an alignment partnership with Ed Sheeran in order to create more fondness with the brand. I think that Ed Sheeran is a relatively well liked person, so using him creates a similar feeling with the brand of ketchup. these endorsement contracts do fall into the fallacy of popularity and authority though, because just because Ed Sheeran likes this ketchup doesn’t necessarily mean its great itself.
I think using celebrities for commercials is an interesting way to reach an audience. By using image and the persona of others, ads try to appeal to the general public. In what ways is this deceiving? Is it moral to manipulate an audience in order to make them buy products? How genuine are the celebrities? We do need to realize that they are advertising that product at a profit.
Celebrities are differently a huge appeal for a lot of people. Americans have a unique obsession with celebrities. Using Ed Sheeran is a huge appeal because of his international status. Even if you don’t speak or understand English, just by seeing his face you are instantly allured towards the screen.