Not for Women...

This weeks commercial is for Dr. Pepper's new drink Dr. Pepper 10. It is very sarcastic and shows two men doing in a variety of action scenes. It then tells women that this is a man's drink stateing it "has 10 manly calories" but is full of flavor. It is interesting that they portrayed 10 calories as an acceptable number for men, hinting that diet soda's with zero calories are somehow "girly drinks". The commercial also enforces a common stereotype about men and women; that men love action movies and women love romantic comedies. It also is a drink that is "made for men" however I find it interesting that the commercial is aimed at women. Is this because they are assuming that women do the grocery shopping and will buy this for their man? Or is it some kind of reverse psychology so that women will also start buying the drink. Whether the intention of the commercial was to poke fun at diet drinks in a harmless way, or to really set this drink out to be for men only, it was successful at one thing, making a big statement about the differences in men and women.

Mary J. Blige and Burger King...

This weeks commercial is one that I never actually saw on television but hear about on the radio. It is for Burger King's new crispy chicken wrap, part of their recently revamped menu after falling to #3 in the fast food world behind Wendy's. It is was on the radio program because it has been pulled from television. Before I say anything more about the commercial I'll give you a chance to watch it for yourself:

Although corny I didn't notice anything about this that would warrant it being taken off the air. Burger King states that the ad was released early before all of the licensing and approvals had gone thorough, but numerous people on twitter saw the ad as racist and began to harshly criticize it. They found it offensive that an african american woman would be the one to promote a fried chicken dish. Mary J. Blige is stating that she was told the commercial would be part of a dream sequence and is unhappy with the commercial that aired.

Now for a few questions I have. The tune to which she is singing is from one of her songs "Don't Mind" with the lyrics changed to be about chicken. To me if she found singing about a fried chicken dish as offensive or a problem, then why didn't she bring it up when filming? Next, what is wrong with her singing about chicken? Fast food restaurants aren't known for their huge variety of food, so isn't it likely that the ad would be about either chicken or a hamburger?

This weeks commercial comes from a company that has been around for more than 120 years, Anheuser-Busch. 

This commercial, much like Chrysler, instills a sense of pride and a feel good feeling from watching it. It is set in the 1930's at the end of prohibition. It starts off slow and sad, somewhat depressing, until the end of prohibition is announced. Then you see people from all over coming together to help bring alcohol back to the hardworking blue collar men. They have managed to bring their iconic Clydesdale horses into the story line, and a sense of camaraderie and companionship these men have carrying the cases of beer from the carriage into the bar. It sends the message that Budweiser is the backbone of that celebration, and without it there is nothing.

Super Bowl 2012

One of the most popular part about Super Bowl Sunday is the commercials! Sure everyone loves to gather around the television with tons of finger foods and alcohol, but if you notice the room tends to get quiet when the commercials start. This first post will actually show a commercial from last year's Super Bowl so that I have time to sort through tonight's commercials.

This is a commercial for what was then the new Chrysler 200. It is a very intense commercial that aims to change the viewers ideals about luxury. It starts off with scenes that show Detroit as a victim of recession and in some sense poverty. Through motivating dialogue viewers may start to feel proud, that Detroit has been able to build this car despite all of their economic trouble. Chrysler also uses the popular rapper Eminem in the commercial, and while some may just see it as a person who is from Detroit it goes much deeper than that. Rising above poverty, and living the American dream of fame and wealth show that there is hope. There are even more subtle hints, the stills of blue collar workers, the rising background music, and ending shot in the famous Fox Theatre, show that from all of the hard word there is something beautiful that emerges, Detroit a city that has "been to hell and back" is able to "import" luxury in the form of the new Chrysler 200