Media Blog 12. Santa's Secret

Oh, the holiday season; a perfect time for family bonding time and, of course, advertising. Samsung took advantage of the holidays by releasing this commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Gear. In it, Santa shows a crowd of elves all the features of the Galaxy Gear, which is basically a mix of a watch and a phone.

At first, the target audience seemed to be little kids who were amazed with the ideas of Santa Claus and elves, but I figured it couldn't be that because little kids don't need and probably wouldn't buy Galaxy Gears. Instead, I think the ad is targeting teenagers who want the next big thing. It makes Santa seem a little bit like a joke and more like an advertiser, appealing to teens who no longer regard Santa the way little kids do.

At the end of the commercial, it says, "The next big thing is here." This uses the technique avant garde. Sicne is says that the product is the next big thing, it makes it seem like no one really knows about it yet, and people who do have one will be cool. It makes it seem like people who own this product are one step ahead of others and are trend-setters.

The scene really popped out with the excessive use of Christmas colors like red, green, and white. This made it seem like it was a really happy time. It was all set in a dark place, making the colors and lights pop out more against the black background. The Christmasy colors do pop out against the black, but it's the blue that pops out against the Christmas colors. The blue is from the Galaxy Gear, drawing attention from its bright blue color and making the audience focus on it.

The music is really loud and lively. This adds a sort of fun, party feel to it. Even though it may be a party between Santa and his elves, it still makes the Galaxy Gear seem cool.

I think this ad is effective because it lists all the features of the Samsung Galaxy Gear but also makes it seem cool. The commercial itself seems lively and fun and grabs viewers' attention.

Media Blog 11. Cheerios

I think this commercial is really cute, and it makes me sad that there's been a lot of controversy on it because of the interracial couple in it. First of all, the people they are using is an interracial family, which would appeal to people who would be happy seeing an interracial family on TV. It kind of backfired on them though, because people didn't like this commercial because of that.

One thing I noticed was the setting. It seems to take place in an average, middle-class person's home, but everything in the first scene is brown and green except for the kid's colorful outfit and the bright Cheerios box. This makes the girl and the cereal pop out.

Also, there isn't much music present until a little bit at the end. The sound is mostly just the actors talking. The little girl has a high, childish voice, which is really adorable and might appeal to parents. The music at the end is really upbeat and fun.

At the end of the ad, the word "Love" pops up against a screen the yellow color of the Cheerios box. The font of the word is the same as the font for Cheerios. Also, there are Cheerios bouncing all over the screen, which associates the cereal with love and family.

The mother tells her daughter that Cheerios is good for your heart with whole-grain oats that can remove cholesterol. This slips in a fact about Cheerios, saying that not only does it bring the family together and taste good, it's also healthy.

Overall, I think this ad is appealing to me, but many people don't agree because of the interracial family. I think that's really stupid because the commercial seems really cute to me.

Media Blog 10. Extra's Origami Ad

I think this commercial is so adorable. It definitely targets parents and associates Extra gum with connecting with their kids. Parents want to be involved in their kids lives, and this ad makes it seem like chewing Extra gum will help them do that. It shows the father looking at his daughter and being there for her when she grows up. He experiences a lot of important moments in her life, whether she's sad or happy, and each time, there is gum. This uses repetition; each time an event happens, Extra gum is there to make the girl feel better.

One thing that I noticed was that the music was really happy, laid-back, and inspirational. The scenes and movements all lined up with the beat of the song. This makes the music affect the actions in the video and the way the viewer's see the ad, but it's not so loud that it overpowers the message of the commercial.

This ad appeals to parents' need to nurture. When the daughter is crying and going through other important events in her life, the dad is always there to help her and make her happy. This associates Extra with good parenting and the ability to brighten someone's day.

There are only a few words spoken in the ad. At the end, a gentle voice says, "Sometimes, the little things last the longest. Give extra, get extra." This is saying that little things in life can sometimes be the best, but it's also because Extra may seem like a small stick of chewing gum, but it can lead to bigger things. In this case, the thing that lasts the longest is the father's relationship with his daughter.

Overall, I think this ad is effective. It's really cute and has a little bit of a plot that might capture attention. Even though I'm not a parent, I thought it was really interesting and appealing.

Media Blog 9. Coca Cola vs. Pepsi

This Halloween ad began as a Pepsi advertisement. It said, "We wish you a scary Halloween!" with a can of Pepsi disguised as a Coca Cola can. The image on the left is Coca Cola's unofficially released comeback: it's the same image, but it says "Everybody wants to be a hero."

I think both of these ads were clever. The picture is focused on the can, and the bold red and blue colors make it stand out against the gray and green of the background. This draws attention to the two very well-known can designs, and it might want viewers to pay more attention to the ad. Since Pepsi and Coca Cola are major competitors, both of the can designs in the same picture might interest people.

The two images use different tactics and ideas from the companies. Instead of focusing on the quality of their products, Pepsi and Coke are attacking each other. Pepsi's version of the ad is saying that Halloween would be scary if Pepsis looked like Cokes, since Pepsi is better. Coca Cola's version says that Pepsi isn't as good as Coke but is trying to be. It might take a few seconds for viewers to understand what each company is trying to say, giving the ad just enough time to affect people.

Overall, I think both versions of the ad are really interesting, and it was funny seeing how Coca Cola responded to the original ad.

Media Blog 8. M&M's Keyboard Ad

This ad shows rows of M&M's with the letters/words of keyboards printed on them. The first thing I noticed was, of course, the M&M's. How can you not? They're a splash of color placed on a boring gray background. The dullness of the background makes the M&M's stand out more, especially since there's a bit of a white glow around the chocolates.

The bottom reads, "Communication just got sweeter. Personalise your M&M's at mymms.nl." The point is that, since you can personalize what goes on your M&M's, you could make a keyboard-like M&M's display if you wanted to.

I'm not exactly sure what M&M's is trying to establish with this ad. The whole image itself is so simple, it could appeal to anyone. M&M's has become so well-known that someone could look at the picture and immediately go "Ooh, M&M's." I don't think that they're focusing much on the personalization as much as how they're trying to get their name across.

Media Blog 7. The Extremely Remote Control Car

I also found this ad in the "Family Fun" magazine. It advertises the OnStar RemoteLink and Chevrolet Impala and says, "So you're a bit tied up, thanks to two very ambitious children and you think, wait, did I lock my Impala? And normally, you'd just sit and stew about it. But you live in a time when an app lets you control your car from nearly anywhere in your world, and you realize just how amazing modern technology really is. All because you drive a Chevrolet Impala connected by OnStar." This makes it seem like it will make people worry less and ad security in their lives.

Honestly, if I were someone flipping through this magazine, I would see that chunk of words and go "ugh." I don't really concentrate or care about ads if I'm looking through a magazine, especially if there's a lot of small-printed words in there.

However, the many colors and photos in the picture can draw attention. Also, the phrase "The extremely remote control car" is a play on words and tells people that it's a secure and reliable option. Since this is in a Family Fun magazine, it would be very appealing to parents who want to make sure they're safe. I think this ad would be effective on a certain audience, but to me, it isn't that important or attention-grabbing.

Media Blog 6. Quality Time with Rice Krispies

I found this picture in a "Family Fun" magazine that was sent to us. This ad for Rice Krispies shows a mother and her kids having fun while making Rice Krispies Treats. It says, "Spend some quality time with your little helpers.You'll have a ball creating Rice Krispies Tree Trimmer Treats." One thing that really struck me was that the picture was in black and white except for the Rice Krispies, which are in color. This really draws attention to the product, but since it doesn't take up a majority of the picture, it doesn't obviously scream about the Rice Krispies.

The black-and-white picture of the family makes it seem very old fashioned and might remind people of home and their family. This associates the product with family bonding and spending fun time with the kids. Since I found this ad in a parenting magazine, it would appeal to parents as a way for their children to have fun and a way for the parents to spend time with their kids.

The slogan "Childhood is calling" might also let adults remember their childhood and want their kids to have a Rice Krispies experience. Overall, I think it's a pretty effective ad and draws attention to the product without flashing it in viewer's faces.