Other Codes

Brand and product: Orbit gum

Source: Youtube

Publication date: June 2010

Category: Other codes: Ad that is magical (black magic)

In this commercial for Orbit gum, black magic is used by hexing and controlling the people in it. The name of the commercial is called "Exclamations" and by chewing Orbit gum, oddly enough the participants of a focus group appear to be possessed and cannot control their speech. After unwrapping each pack of gum, the participants appear to be so overwhelmed with Orbit's new package design that they are filled with the desire to swear. Orbit's punch line at the end of their commercials is always about "cleaning up another dirty mouth" and in this situation the Orbit girl interjects right before person is about the curse and she substitutes that with the name of the person next in line. Without the interjection and rescue of the Orbit girl, the hexed people in the commercial group would be saying some very dirty things. This refers to the idea that Orbit will save you from a dirty mouth (bad breath).

The setting and the clothing in this commercial is quite mod and chic, which can be a nod to the 1960s and earlier times when it was considered very bad form to curse. Having this setting makes it more believable that these people need to be "cleaned up" because their behavior would not be acceptable in that time. If the commercial appeared more modern, the ad would not be as effective because cursing does not have much of a stigma has it has had in the past.

Brand and product: American Express Credit Card

Source: Google

Publication date: unknown

Category: Other codes: Classical allusion or similar appeal to the culturati

The culturati are drawn to all things classical and place an emphasis on timelessness. Many times, in culturati-appealing ads, an endorsement is made by someone other than a beautiful model. Here, Ellen DeGeneres, a modern and well-known entertainer is dressed as an old-fashioned performer from the early 2oth century. The setting of the scene seems to be a western landscape, not typically exotic, but can be seen as foreign to someone not used to this type of scenery. There appears to be a working class grit, as Ellen is shown to be a traveling performer.

The culturati are know to have high cultural capital with a distinctive taste in culture. Austerity, modernism, and classical styles are ideals valued by this group of elite. One of the traits of the culturati is that luxury is yours to define with an emphasis on your own inherent taste and the ability to fill in the blank (literally in this case). Here, Ellen "fills in the blanks" with her ideals and beliefs towards entertainment, the industry to which she belongs. Often, ads that appeal to the culturati depict cultural industries. The use of Ellen's actual handwriting makes the ad more personal and shows that this is an ad about her. 

Another trait of appealing to the culturati is that products offer individuality rather than status. It's not about access to a lifestyle, but making a statement about it. This ad is a perfect example of this because it is focused on Ellen and her life and what she does with her American Express credit card. She isn't trying to sell the product, rather she is making a statement by explaining the kind of lifestyle she has because of it. 

Brand and product: Calvin Klein White Wash Jeans

Source: Vogue

Publication date: May 2010

Category: Other Codes: Strategy of ritual subordination of women

This advertisement from Calvin Klein displays the ritual subordination of women with the use of stereotypical gender codes as discussed in the “Gender Codes” documentary that was viewed in class. Here, the woman is pinned under the male, thus under his control. She is in a recumbent pose, or laying down flat on her back. The male exerts his strength as seen with the tightness of his muscles, whereas the woman seems loose and relaxed and is simply under his power. His face is stern and unyielding. The woman’s face is positioned upward, which reinforces her inferiority to the superior male. Her expression seems to be one of pleasure, even though she is under complete control of the man. Although the advertisement is for the jeans, it is critical to notice that the female is topless but the male is not. 

There appears to be a split shadow that hovers over the couple. It is noteworthy to mention that the first half of the shadow misses the male figure and appears to the left of him. The other half of the shadow, however, goes across the female figure as reinforce the idea that she is shadowed by the male figure.

Brand and product: Doritos Spicy Nacho Chips

Source: Youtube

Publication date: February 2011

Category: Other Codes: Stereotype

The Mook is an in your face kind of character who is crude, loud, and obnoxious. He is, for example, Tom Green, the cast of Jackass, misogynistic fraternity brothers, or some of the South Park characters. The Mook is characterized as by being infantile and having childish, rude behavior. This stereotype is shown in the above commercial for Doritos with the male main character representing the Mook. The Mook in this scenario is contrasted to the woman who appears to be more rational and grown up than the male.

The childish way in which the Mook interacts with the dog is a classic trait displayed by this kind of stereotype. He shows his superiority to the dog by taunting the animal in an obnoxious way. He also ignores his girlfriend who warns him not to hurt her pet, which displays his superiority to her. The fact that the Mook is defeated by the dog in the end supports the stereotype in which the Mook is often outwitted or outsmarted. 

Brand and product: NYC Quits, Anti-Smoking Campaign

Source: Youtube

Publication date: March 2010

Category: Other Codes: Shock value to cut through ad clutter

New York City has released many ads over the past few years depicting the horrific damage smoking has on people's health and lives. These commercials depend on shock value to cut through the enormous amount of ad clutter seen on television. Images of the damage cigarette smoke has on lungs, hearts, and arteries are gruesome but the creators of the commercial know the audiences are often so appalled that they can't look away so they do in fact watch the commercial. The shock of seeing these images is hard to get used to even if the commercial is played over and over again on TV. Scare tactics are often used in government released ads to get their messages across and these images are definitely scary.

In this particular commercial, the statistics themselves add shock value to the ad. The fact that only twenty minutes after someone quits smoking, their blood pressure decreases should instill some awe into a smoker's mind and the message that they are a heart attack waiting to happen should convince them to quit smoking. The statistics are shown in white text against a simple black background. Then there is quick editing with flashing images of heart and lung surgery to contrast the messages. The quickness and jumpiness of the commercial stands out among ad clutter.

Brand and product: Chevrolet Camaro

Source: Youtube

Publication date: February 2011

Category: Other Codes: Ad that is self-referential

Self-referential ads recognize the fact that they are a commercial message. The beginning of this commercial for the 2011 Chevy Camaro directly recognizes that it's a commercial by having one of the voice-overs say, "...check this out, I've got a great idea for the Camaro commercial." The rest of the ad proceeds to play out how the two men in the commercial imagine how the perfect ad for this car should play out. 

There are many moments in which self-reference is made such as, "You know, we should be in a city" and "No, she's in the city, I don't know why there would be hay." These comments support the recognition that these two guys are imagining the entire ad in their head. Recognizing that almost all commercials have an announcer, at the end one of the guys says "....and then the announcer says..." The traditional Chevy announcer proceeds to inform the viewer the name of the car.  

 The way the commercial ends with the woman who was initially seen as a rebel and adventurous actually be a teacher on her way to school can be a commentary that you don't need to have a dangerous or exciting job to have a really cool car. The Camaro is a classic and authentic American car and alludes to the American people, and the profession of being a teacher.

This ad is solely self-referential due in part to the script. The voiceover explains that this is the creation of the two men. If one were to view the commercial without any sound, it would not be clear that the ad is self-referential. The use of ads that are self-referential can be seen as poking fun at other ads that try to be subtly and influence the viewer.

Brand and product: Zoosk, online dating

Source: Cosmopolitan

Publication date: February 2011

Category: Other codes: Ad that invites participation explicitly

There are two ways in which an ad can invite participation from the reader: implicitly or explicitly. Implicit ads suggest interaction but does not tell the audience exactly what to do. Explicit ads, however, tell the reader exactly what to do and how to interact with the ad. This ad is for an online dating service called Zoosk and invites participation from the audience explicitly. The ad has a “Make-Your-Date” feature and asks the reader to play a fill-in-the-blanks game. This is a Valentine’s Day themed ad, noticeable with the pink and hearts motif, as well as the Valentine’s Day text, which is suitable for the February edition of the magazine. 

This particular advertisement invites participation and interaction from the audience in two ways. First, the ad gives directions and explicitly asks the reader to “fill in the blanks to create your perfect date.” Secondly, Zoosk asks the reader to go on to their website and set up an online dating portfolio. This type of interactive ad stands out among ad clutter for its lack of images and surplus of text. It also appears to be very playful and would excite a reader who is not used to seeing this sort of advertisement. 

Brand and product: AT&T Samsung Propel Pro

Source: Rolling Stone

Publication date: May 2009

Category: Other codes: Ad that would be useful evidence for Marcuse's critique that ads create false needs

Herbert Marcuse believed that without advertising, "people would not develop false needs, nor would they try to satisfy such needs in misdirected ways through purchasing non-essential commodities." (SCIA p. 83) Having false needs manipulates the consumer into believing they need products that are not really necessary in order to live. 

This ad from AT&T is evidence that would be useful for Marcuse's claim that advertising creates false needs. Advertising for cell phones, as a whole, supports Marcuse claim because each ad is tailored to show the many functions the newest cell phone has. Consumers are easily convinced to throw away their old phone and buy the newest model that can do more things their old phone couldn't.

This particular ad is designed as a checklist of the thirty three different things the consumer can do with the Propel Pro phone, including updating a blog, finding subway directions, and counting calories. Marcuse would claim that this ad creates false needs because it is telling the viewer they can only have all thirty three of these capabilities with this phone alone. He would probably also say that a rational consumer would not need a phone that counts calories or would help you learn the Macarena. 

The text wrap around the phone makes the device the center of attention in the ad and the list of capabilities becomes support for the phone. In a way, this ad invites participation and interaction because the reader can check off things they wish their phone did or would want their phone to do. 

Brand and product: Sprint Cell Phone Service

Source: US Weekly

Publication date: January  24 2011

Category: Other codes: Ad that would be useful evidence for believers in the theory of sovereign, rational consumers

This advertisement for Sprint is useful evidence for believers in the theory of sovereign and rational consumers. As opposed to the cell phone ad above, this ad isn't trying create a false need. Most Americans already have a cell phone. Sprint's approach is to have the facts and statistics simply laid out for the consumer to see. Their claim is that having cell phone service with Sprint is more economical than Verizon and AT&T.  There is no glitz or glam with the numbers and the use of a graph speaks to the intelligent and rational consumer. The graph shows exactly what the viewer would get in a Sprint contract as opposed to their competitors. The bar representing Sprint is yellow, which compliments the bar on the left side, as well as the symbol in their logo. The creators of this ad used the competitors logo colors in their bar representations, as well. There is an excessive amount of fine print located at the bottom of the ad, which a rational consumer might want to read, rather than be tricked into signing a contract without reading the details first.