https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjybRvoxRkU

Dr. Bezio mentioned the use of music in advertising and the effects it can have on the general public’s perception of a product. I feel like there is no better example of this practice than Apple. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine who is majoring in Music, and in one of his classes he was actually studying Apple. Apparently, Apple often uses music from very niche artists in their ads that have extremely catchy beats but may not be well known to the public. My friend’s theory is that this marketing strategy in particular is extremely effective, as it makes people not only get excited about hearing a good new song, but now they will forever associate that song with an ad for Apple.

Specifically, this commercial uses the song Loyal by Odesza. Although I knew the song prior to this ad, when I saw it for the first time I was just so excited that Apple was elevating their music. They aren’t a huge band, but I believe they used this song in the most effective way possible. As mentioned in the reading, we are a society of extremes, and are generally attracted to imagery that makes things seem very important or intense. Apple used this song perfectly in this sense, as the beat and drums of the song as a whole were able to provide the viewer with this feeling of a “big event” happening (even though Apple releases a new phone pretty often) which in turn will up the “coolness” of the phone itself. Since Apple’s products probably depend heavily on how society views them, Loyal was the perfect song to get everyone excited for the launch of the iPhone X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxAU0DFw-84&t=29s&ab_channel=Subaru

I found the topic for today, ads, interesting because they constantly are influencing us and our buying habits even when we are unaware about it . This is a point that Dr. Bezio makes in her podcast when discussing how ads are intentionally meant to target our unconscious ‘lizard brains’. This resonated with me because I often feel drawn to buying certain products even when I’m not particularly sure why I am drawn to them. Additionally, I used to be one of the people who had a preference for buying brand name products, over the store brand, even when they were more expensive because they felt more trustworthy for no good reason; this is a habit I am trying to break. 

The ad I chose for today’s blog was one in a series of Subaru’s “Dog Tested. Dog Approved.” ads. The various ads depict golden retriever dogs representing a family partaking in normal human activities, such as stopping at a rest stop, teaching a kid to drive, going to a local car wash, and more. The ad that I choose depicts two two dogs representing the parents dropping their puppy, child, off at their first day of school. The “parents” look reasonably upset after seeing their “kid” head into school, a feeling many human parents can relate to. I think these ads are particularly effective because dogs are a very popular pet with Americans so these ads can more easily appeal to a wide range of demographics and resonate with many people. Additionally since no humans are shown in the ad, it can appeal to many demographics, for example across gender, race, and age lines. I found it interesting now watching the ad back that quite literally nothing is said about the actual car, its safety features, or any other factors that are important to potential car owners. Subaru is counting on the appeal of the dogs to sell their product. Even though a dog driving a car is not normal, as a dog owner I know I always smile a bit when I see one of the ads. My family actually owns two Subaru’s, one of them being the car that I drive regularly, so I guess these ads do work or at least they did on my family.

This ad for Extra gum is one of my favorite ads ever. It follows the story of Sarah and Juan, two teenagers who fall in love and eventually end up getting married later down the line. The ad takes us through some of their best and worst moments, including their first kiss, a picnic, a fight while moving into a new house, having to do a long distance relationship, and eventually their engagement at the end. Throughout all of these moments, there was always a piece of Extra gum and at the end it all comes full circle incorporating the brand when Sarah sees drawings of their moments on the gum wrappers before the proposal and it brings her back to all of those times. Additionally, by naming the characters in the advertisement, it helps the audience relate to the characters and remember it better. I also like the way there is no speaking in the advertisement, and the only sound is the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, which is a popular song so it helps grab the audience’s attention.

I think this ad is genius because it makes the audience believe that a love story and Extra gum go hand in hand, and if you chew Extra gum you may get your own love story. Obviously that is not the case, but it still works. This goes back to the Teays article and how she talks about the change in advertisements over time — focusing on the product itself was once the norm, but now what we want is what the product will bring into our lives. Additionally, she talks about winners and losers in advertising and how we look at advertisements of people who have lives we want and these ads assume we want to enter that “parallel universe”. I don’t think this ad goes as far as that but it still presents a universal theme of desire for love, which spans across all demographics and is a powerful message to pretty much anyone over the age of 12.

After reading the article and listening to Dr. Bezio’s podcast, I knew exactly which ad I was choosing for my blog. The Pure Michigan Radio ads have always been my favorite ads as they painted a picture and bring back a feeling that is peaceful. Many ads aim to accurately depict your fantasy or daydream as it was mentioned in the podcast and the article even quoted some common phrases use such as “The happiest place on earth” or “You can’t leave home without it.” Tim Allen brings a soothing energy to the Snow Days ad (#8 from the link attached) as he describes a winter day that brings us back to a happy time. He talks about school being cancelled, the day being free and full of possibilities, the first time you go outside with snow all around you being “fresh,” etc. The pure idea of winter excites me, with the snowflakes falling down and the crisp cold air surrounding me, that is the perfect way to target me. This ad makes the connection of winter and all your happy memories from years ago, using its advantage by bringing back a feeling that is indescribable but present in every person. This positive association leaves a great feeling with you and that will be recalled when the ad comes up again or Michigan is brought up.

The same goes for the rest of their ads that vary with activities and seasons. Another ad that always stands out to me is when Tim Allen says we should be answering the call of the wild, which is the first video from the link. As he begins by describing the busy day of answering calls and emails leading into a ti me of relaxing and not worrying about work. This sense of relaxation and time off work is then associated with Michigan and bring a feeling that comes up every time I hear the ad or Michigan is brought up. All the great memories of Michigan are portrayed through the many different ads with talking about a possible experience that you can have as Michigan provides the towns, people, nature, etc.

I am not sure if anyone else looked up the goldfish ad, but I know its a snack that not only smiles back but produces these positive experiences associated to them that makes them stand out. That is definitely something that would persuade me to buy them, however I am not a goldfish fan. Another one of their ads that came to mind when Dr. Bezio brought up goldfish was the one where many of them are racing and then the rainbow goldfish are introduced. I wonder which is Goldfish’s most popular ad…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDAg3VkZPg8

I enjoy this advertisement for the exact reasons I am supposed to, and I do not mind but I also am not looking to “bundle my house and car insurance” at this point in my life, and am not the demographic they are trying to reach. Geico reaches all demographics with their ads to become a well-known name which will, in turn, make their company look bigger than it is. The values portrayed in this ad are family values. More specifically nuclear family values. The father seems to have just returned home to his wife making dinner after driving his kid home from school. It is also a black family which is an attempt at Geico to show that they are “diverse” and inclusive. I enjoy Tag Team and the jingle they made for this commercial, but it does make me think would they have chosen them if it was a white mother cooling dinner? Probably not. The story the ad is telling us that if you buy Geico Insurance something amazing will happen to you and you will be happy enough (you and your spouse) to dance in joy. Their verbal message is very straight forward from the beginning, this ad does not make you wait for its point it gets it out of the way in the beginning so you can think about it while you get the song stuck in your head and turn to associate the real song and the jingle version with Geico insurance. Going back to the family structure of the commercial it draws on parents stronger than others. Having the teenage daughter walk in, make a classic teen expression, and then walk away in discontent with her parents reminiscing of an older song that they listened to ads a young age is an easy way to make parents connect. That concept of your kid making fun of or dismissing something that you are reminiscing about happens (in concept) to every parent regardless of race or class). I think insurance commercials are interesting in relation to the concept in the reading about how Ads can be damaging when it comes to class. The reading talks about how a society full of commercials is based on a world in which to fit in you have to be able to buy the commercial goods and name-brand items that everyone else.

From the podcast for today, Dr.Bezio discussed to use of music and popularity as a method for catching the idea of the viewers and for them to remember something. There are a lot of ads that use celebrities to show off their products as the new trend or the next best thing. Its common practice that has been used for the longest time. I’d say this is used mostly in the fashion industry or personal care products the most. Using celebrities that are good-looking is an easy way to sell your products and it makes the presentation of the products much better.

The ad that I attached is a fairly recent one with Damian Lillard. If you watch basketball, you probably know who Dame is. He is one of the biggest stars at the moment and is a fairly talented rapper. He did this commercial with Hulu that has about 14 million views on Youtube. I think this is a pretty good example of the two traits that the podcast discussed. The song is actually pretty good and it sticks in your mind. By also using a current popular NBA player you are appealing to a younger demographic, which is also the demographic that would likely subscribe to Hulu. The fact that this commercial instantly popped into my head when listening to the podcast shows its effectiveness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb7m0xRWKAQ&ab_channel=Hulu

This ad features former NFL quarterback, Peyton Manning. It’s funny, but it takes advantage of the Ad Vericundiam fallacy. Manning was a professional football player, and he is meant to represent strength, power, prestige, and overall desirability. He is a stereotypical “alpha male” and was idolized by millions of Americans during his playing days. The ad is for DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package. Although plenty of women watch football, this ad is targeted at men, many of whom both want to have access to every game on Sundays, and have some kind of insecurities about their masculinity. The humor in the ad masks the fact that DirecTV is addressing both of these factors. People are drawn to the star-power and celebrity of Peyton Manning, and making them more likely to want to buy the product. Manning is no authority on which TV package is best. In fact, he can’t even watch games on Sundays because he’s playing in one, but this fact doesn’t register with the viewer. Additionally, the “high voice” version of Manning is meant to contrast with the regular Manning. As I mentioned before, the regular version represents the idealized alpha male, who many men want to become. A high voice is stereotypically associated with less masculinity, and is depicted in the ad as a worse alternative to the real Manning. Even the way he is dressed and the settings where he finds himself are meant to make him seem less manly. The ad is entertaining, and creates desire for the product, as well as a subconscious fear of not having the product.

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)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0egr7O8pBEg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnu6H6ZUprc

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqWG5_7nwyk

One of my favorite ads is the 2021 Toyota Big Game Commercial: Jessica Long’s Story. I think it first aired during this year’s Superbowl, and I remember my eyes were immediately glued to the screen. I was drawn to it because it was something I hadn’t seen in an ad before. At first, I thought it was a movie trailer or something, and I didn’t know what was going on because all the “locations” in the ad, such as a house and an orphanage, are surrounded by water, and sometimes submerged in water, and Jessica Long is swimming in that water throughout the ad. Jessica’s mom is on the phone with an adoption agency talking about adopting Jessica and her rare leg condition that requires both of her legs to be amputated. Jessica is swimming while this conversation is happening, and we see a glimpse into her life, as she is looking at her mom from the outside in. It sounds confusing but is really cool if you watch the ad. As I started to put the pieces together and realized it was telling Jessica Long’s story of adoption and then success, I would’ve never imagined that it was a Toyota commercial. There is not a single car in the commercial, and it’s not showing us a fantasy, but it’s obvious that it is targeting families. It shows that Toyota is a family friendly brand, that families can rely on when purchasing a car. It is also connecting sports with Toyota, which expands the demographic this ad might be targeting. There is so much emotional appeal of a family and someone’s incredibly inspiring true story that the viewer doesn’t care that it didn’t show them anything about cars, but is just so touched by the fact that Toyota would make a commercial like this. At the end, a narrator says “We believe there is hope and strength in all of us. Toyota.” It is drawing to the emotions of its target audience, and showing empathy and compassion during a pandemic when people watching might most need it. Toyota is also a Team USA partner for the Olympics, so in a way it could also be advertising the Olympics and inspiring someone to watch the Paralympics and Jessica Long, which now I will definitely be following her along on her journey.