One of my favorite ads ever is from the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final. The ad is simply titled “Name.” This is one of my favorite ads for a number of reasons. The first reason is its simplicity. The ad focuses on your name and what it does and stands for throughout the course of your life. However, the ad reminds us that your name ultimately ends up being “how you’re remembered.” The second reason is the visual aspect of the ad. NHL legends both old and new are shown along with iconic NHL moments and calls. Unforgettable moments that all begin with someone’s name. Names can even bond others from different generations. In the end, your name is permanent, and depending on what you do with it, people will never forget it.
In comparison to today’s reading and podcast, this NHL ad does a great job at portraying both verbal and visual messages. Both the words and video portray a message of belief and glory. They also help to show that winning something such as the Stanley Cup is not a fantasy, but something that a group of people makes happen. From a visual message standpoint, the ad does not show anything too flashy or too boring. It shows simplistic clips and players that everyone knows because of the names of these players, many of whom will never be forgotten as they are Stanley Cup Champions. The ad obviously is targeted toward hockey players but can be used as motivation for almost anybody. All in all, this ad does a great job of appealing to both a small and large audience.
I really liked this ad, and I love how simple the concept is yet how powerful the message is. Everyone has a name, but I think the ad does a really good job of showing how your name can build a reputation, and ultimately leave a legacy. I am biased because I am a hockey fan, but I think this ad was very inspirational. I also think that any sports fan could relate to this commercial and be emotionally drawn to it, even if they don’t watch hockey. Someone who doesn’t watch sports might not feel as connected to it, or just be distracted by the fact that they might not recognize any of those names.
I agree that any sports fan can relate to this ad, but I actually think even people who are not into sports can relate to this as well. Regardless of what we do, we want to be remembered and have a good association with our name, not just in sports, and I think this ad appeals to that and its audience is pretty much everyone.
I agree with Madelyn that this ad can appeal to everyone because of its simplicity. Everyone wants to build a fulfilling and meaningful life for themselves, and the emotionality of this ad makes it even easier for an audience to connect with it and feel inspired to make their name mean something. Even as someone who doesn’t watch hockey, I can see that these are career and life-defining moments for these players, and that it a very powerful way to sell a product.