Athletic Supporting

Commercials made by sportswear companies all follow a similar formula. They involve pump up music, usually rock or rap, a very fit and muscular person working out while wearing the product. This appeals to a limited amount of people that are already in shape and good athletes.


 

There are a few instances though where the companies go for the other audience, the 'fatties' and the 'losers'. This is the audience should be exploited more. I believe they will respond more positively to advertisements and spend more money chasing their fitness goals.



The second ad in my opinion is much more effective. There is a much larger population of unfit people, especially in America. Encouraging people to work out and be healthy is more motivating than showing already very fit athletes working out.

Old Spice Commercials are Black Magic.

So today, like most friday afternoons I spent searching the web looking for interesting things that I could possibly write a blog post on. Normally I'm looking for small interesting tid bits from movies, or running themes in TV shows. But recently while watching videos on YouTube I remembered some funny commercials a couple years back that starred this guy.

                                                                   "Hello Ladies..."

I remembered two iconic Old Spice commercials that I had seen and it wasn't until I watched them recently that I appreciated the difficulty of the commercial. So as a preamble before you watch this scene, just remember that it is all done in one take and there is no CGI whatsoever (except for the diamonds)... Enjoy.

So that is a very impressive commercial. The amount of bells and whistles and things that have to be timed perfectly is unreal. The moving sets, the props and everything needs to be in perfect synch. Here was the one thing that made me watch this commercial over and over again was the fact that I could not figure out how the hell he managed to get on the horse. I mean it is a completely continuos shot and he never even breaks stride. My best guess is he is on wires the entire time and they hoist him up after he exits the boat set. But really I still have no clue. Comment if you know how they did it.

Now if that commercial wasn't amazing enough Old Spice outdid themselves by making another one of these commercials even more elaborate than before. If you have the time, I really suggest you watch this.

 

In an interview with the star of this commercial Isaiah Mustafa he claimed that this took place on location on top of a lake. When he walks on water they put clear plastic panels underneath the water. The cake he catches, is a real cake, and the table saw he uses, is a real saw. If all of that wasn't fantastical enough look closely when he jumps into the hot tub. He is wearing bermuda shorts beforehand, and after the walls of the tub collapse he is wearing jeans and boots. Now Mustafa claims that the pants are real, and although he does not reveal the secret of how they did it. He said that no animation was used on the pants. I myself am skeptical.

I decided to post on advertising this week because I think it is very interesting that some really impressive stuff can be done not just for film and television.

I Love Beer...Commercials

Some people like fast cars, delicious food, movie trailers, health and beauty products, etc. But, I love beer commercials. In my opinion the some of the funniest commercials ever aired. They are also very abundant, as beer is the widest distributed and most consumed beverage on the American market. The competition is so fierce for these very similar-tasting drinks that the commercials need to be top-notch in order to increase sales. Some like Sam Adams try to tell you how cool the owners and workers are and what really goes into their beer. Others like Coors try to tell you just how cold their beer really is. Carona even tries to take you to a nice calm beach. However, I prefer the commercials that make me laugh. Dos Equis, Miller Lite, Keystone, and Budweiser just to name a few. I wish I had half the comedic brainpower of the people who came up with the "Real Men of Genius" line of Bud Light commercials. Here's a little treat for your eyes, ears, and funnybone.

Everyone have a fun and safe Cortaca Weekend.

The Commercial Effect

A lot of commercials we see on TV these days fall into two categories: really bad, or really funny. For the most part, we reserve commercial breaks for things like getting a snack or a bathroom break. Personally, the endless repetition of commercials that reappear constantly when you're watching something is really annoying, and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way.

I noticed while watching the Emmy's this past weekend how truly awful and ineffective most commercials are. I don't know if any of you have ever seen a commercial for the energy drink 5-Hour Energy, but every time I see one it never fails to make me want to hit myself over the head with the nearest object. They're terrible all around, and yet they're on constantly, which begs the question, "if you can obviously afford to constantly air this commercial, why can't you at least put effort into making a watchable commercial?"

However, some commercials are actually enjoyable to watch, and I find that those are always the funny ones. Not the ridiculous ones that are so far out there that you don't really understand the connection to their products (I'm talking to any commercial that has ever used a talking baby. Or talking animals. It's just creepy, at least I think so).

When I think about my favorite commercial, the first one that always comes to mind is by Volkswagen. It aired last year during the Superbowl, and I might be a little biased because I love Star Wars, but it's really a great commercial. It's funny, adorable, and it does a great job of advertising for the product.

Lastly, in terms of long-standing commercial themes, I think my favorite are probably the Progressive commercials featuring Flo. I know a lot of people think they're getting kind of old because they've been airing for so long, and I can see how they feel that way. But, at the same time, I feel like a lot of people really like Flo. She has 18,000 followers on twitter, and has made appearances on shows such as House and United States of Tara (she herself is an actress. Her real name is Stephanie Courtney. Sorry if I just bursted your bubble). Some of the progressive commercials aren't as good as others, but the one called Pants on Fire is my favorite. It aired about a year ago this November, and I just think it's really great. I like the subtle comedy and how it isn't over-the-top in the way it achieves its point.

I like the "80's Montage" one too because I love 80's movies and I thought it was hilarious. It's probably a little less effective then some of the other commercials for Progressive, including the "Pants on Fire" one, but I still like it, and I know almost everyone enjoys 80's movies (and if you don't, you need to seriously rethink your priorities. And then go rent The Goonies.)

 

It's kind of ridiculous, but I think it appeals to a lot of people.

Overall, a lot of commercials today are really bad. Usually the best part of commercials are seeing things like movie trailers (or other important things that interest you). 

If you have a favorite commercial that I didn't mention please add it to the comments! I might be writing a paper on this and I'd love to hear some more!