As we move further into the twenty first century, it is becoming increasingly obvious that advertisements, for the most part, aren’t really about selling their product anymore. Some, especially clothing ads, sell sex. Some, like many beer commercials, sell humor. But the ones that stick out to me the most are the ones that sell, in a word, a lifestyle. This commercial for Coca-Cola to me is the perfect example. It doesn’t really have much to do with drinking Coke, but more to do with a bunch of people having a good time. The message isn’t “Drink Coke” but “Drink Coke and you will have fun.”
The ad is pretty typical. A guy is walking down some busy street and decides to get a bottle of Coke. Then things start changing. A guy selling corn on the cob (I think) starts making a rhythmical noise, and he’s soon joined in by a kid working on his bike. Slowly more sounds come in. The commercial goes back to the guy, who now has his guitar out, and he starts playing a simple little guitar line. It goes to some kids playing soccer in the street, then back to the guy, where there is a crowd gathering around him. There are different shots of people dancing, and then the camera moves back, showing a big group of people dancing around the guy with the guitar.
Let’s start with what the commercial doesn’t do. If you were to think of a desire associated with selling a type of think, you would probably think of either a thirst quencher or a cool down on a hot day. This ad addresses neither of those desires. Besides a very brief shot of the guy drinking from the bottle, and a couple quick shots where you can make out the Coca-Cola logo, there isn’t really much Coke in this ad, or at least, Coke isn’t the main focus. While the guy does look like he enjoys the drink, everything that happens afterwards appears to be what the ad is really about: the music, the dancing, everyone having fun, etc.
Therefore, we can say that Coca-Cola isn’t really selling the actual drink Coca-Cola. So what is it selling? To put it simply, the ad is selling the promise of a good time. Before the guy got his bottle of Coke, it was just another normal day. Then he buys it and the music starts, people dance, kids play in the streets, and everyone has a good time. That is what the main selling point of this commercial is. By this product and you will have fun.
The ad makes its point with both visuals and sounds. In pretty much every shot after the man drinks from his bottle, there are people smiling, laughing, dancing and playing. Everyone is clearly enjoying themselves, from the guy with the guitar to the kids playing soccer to the dancing women crowding around the man. This music has an upbeat rhythm and a catchy guitar part. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something like this?
This type of advertisement is common, especially in food and drink commercials. Another example would be this McDonald’s commercial from a couple years ago.
Most of the shots are just people doing wacky, fun stuff. There is the occasional shot of somebody eating a burger or drinking a shake, but for the most part, this commercial is like the Coke one; it creates desire not for the product, but for the entertainment and enjoyment that (the ad says) comes with it.
If you watch advertisements on TV or see advertisements in a magazine, most of the time you will see not the selling of a certain product but of a carefree, easygoing and fun lifestyle. These two ads are perfect examples of that: they briefly show the product, but focus most of the ad on people enjoying themselves. They aren’t giving you a logical reason to buy their product, but one that seems to make sense in the commercial: “Buy Coke and you will spontaneously dance in the street.”
Gus Ingebretsen
No comments:
Post a Comment