On the podcast for today, two things that stuck out to me were the idea of the appeal of popularity and that music is one of the most effective ways to remember something, or make the audience for an ad remember something. These two things reminded me of an ad I watched for my movement improvisation class last semester, where two dancers freestyle for 5 minutes for a gap commercial. While there is also I shorter version I found that was more likely to be shown on television (I’ve attached the links for both), as someone who loves dance, the 5 minute video was captivating enough to make me watch the whole thing. Now I know not everyone had the same draw to dance, however, the skill of the dancers is effective depicted as they dance and wear Gap brand clothing, which appeals to the fantasy of skills or talents and subsequent popularity that we often assume to follow these traits. Additionally, the music used, particularly in the one minute version repeats the chorus of the song over and over, making it very catchy and likely to linger in your mind after watching the ad. The music choice itself also appeals to popular cultures and the desire to fit into our culture. While I really enjoy the ad, I also recognize that that is exactly the point of the ad, to present us with something that appeals to us, and then we link that with their product, just how this ad displays their logo at the very end, as the last thing we see in the video.
(The 5 minute version is the first video, the one minute video is the second)
I had never seen this ad before, but I think it is super interesting in the context of our discussion about ads. What stands out to me is the use of two black male dancers in the commercial. When I think of the company GAP, I usually think of moms and their little kids and they’re also probably white. I have this perspective because of the towns I grew up in and thus the GAPs I would walk into. But this commercial’s representation of black dancers has made me question why I associate their company with white women. It is an effective strategy to either expand, change, or just better represent the demographics they reach.
I have also never seen this ad before. I’m glad you linked both versions of the ad because I always think its good when a company has a versatile commercial that they can use in different forms. I think GAP is really trying to go through a rebranding and reimaging phase, as I know they have recently signed a pretty big deal with Kanye West. I also like the subtlety of the branding, allowing the consumer to form a full opinion before finally seeing what the brand is.