The Geico Caveman Advertisement

In this commercial a couple of cavemen pull up in their motorcycles at a bar. It looks like they are feeling good about themselves and have spotted two attractive girls who seem imprested and interested in them. Then they see a billboard which reads, “Saving money on motorcycle insurance, so easy….” After reading the billboard, the biker cavemen lose interest in the girls and the bar. They walk towards their motorcycles and begin to depart leaving the girls confused. This is a commercial for Geico motorcycle insurance. There is very little information of the company in the commercial. The company assumes that the commercial’s audience already knows the story associated with the caveman. The story begins with Geico stating that using Geico's website is so easy a caveman could do it in one of their commercials. This idea offends cavemen and they openly are embarrassed and unhappy by the commercial. After this commercial was shown on TV, an array of commercials began to air relating to the caveman story. Geico’s caveman commercials are very effective in attracting the audience’s attention and keeping it. In order to understand this commercial, one must know the commercials that came before. It gives the audience something to do, a task to complete. It becomes a competition. The audience not only has to spend their time watching this commercial but they should also watch the others.

Geico Caveman Advertisement

Six Flags Mr. Six Commercial

In this advertisement, Six Flags’ Mr. Six is trying to carry everyone to Six Flags. The audience of this commercial is people who are always busy working and because of this never have time for fun. The ad wants to sell the idea of Six Flags being a place where people can play and have fun. In the commercial, there is an old man named Mr.Six that gets off the Six Flags bus taking his time walking down step after step to show that he is rather old. A possible myth behind the advertisement is that old people do not have fun or, even though it is quite funny, that old people cannot dance. The ad takes place in a suburban area where everyone, down to the kids, is busy working. This location was chosen to represent the average American home. The melancholy voice over gives the advertisement a feeling of boredom until, the Six Flags bus appears and the old slow moving man, Mr.Six, begins dancing. Cheerful fast paced music begins to play changing the mood from boredom to fun and excitement. After hearing this music and seeing Mr.Six dance, the occupants of the suburban area dance and follow Mr.Six to Six Flags where they ride a rollercoaster and other theme park rides available at Six Flags. After showing many images of people having fun on many of the rides at Six Flags, the slogan of Six Flags appear, “Six Flags. It’s play time.” The ad makes doesn’t make any promises but people can infer that if they are having a boring day, they can just go to six flags and they will be full of joy, laughter and fun.

Explanation of Myths in the Burger King Advertisement

In the Burger King advertisement, there is an underlying myth that meat and burgers are “man food” and tofu and quiche are “chick food.” The commercial also speaks on the myth that men want to be as masculine as possible. From the ad one can assume that only a burger can satisfy a man’s appetite and cravings. It is quite ridiculous to think that only men need meat and women don’t. Actually it is ridiculous to think that women don’t like meat. It is obviously false. What about men who are vegetarians or the hot dog eating record holder held by Takeru Kobayashi, a woman. Somehow there is an idea that man food is different that woman food.

Six Flags Mr. Six Commercial

Waking Up with The King

The Burger King Advertisement, Waking Up with The King, is one of the many Burger Advertisements to feature “The Burger King.” In the commercial, a man wakes up to find The Burger King in his bed. The Burger King then gives him a Croissan’wich which is a breakfast sandwich from Burger King. The audience of the ad are people who want a good breakfast sandwich. The ad uses comedy along with “The Burger King” to sell Croissan’wiches. The Burger King himself is funny because he is a person in The Burger King’s costume and he is always doing the weirdest things such as waiting in someone’s bed to offer him a sandwich. There is also voice over in this ad. The voice over is a man with a deep and appealing voice. The voice over tells the audience what is in a Croissan’wich and also uses repetition. He says ‘egg and meat and cheese and meat and cheese.” The purpose of this voice over is to make the audience’s mouth water draw them to the product. Even at the end of the commercial, there is another comedic aspect when the man in the bed and The Burger King touch hands and quickly pull it away. All together the commercial is effective in trying to sell its audience its product using comedy, The Burger King, and repetition.

The Serta’s Counting Sheep Advertisement

The Serta’s Counting Sheep advertisement is a very funny advertisement. In the ad, the manager of the counting sheep informs the sheep of Serta’s mattresses’ ability to make people fall asleep fast. This brings up a problem because counting sheep make people fall asleep slower. The manager then tells the sheep the solution to this problem is for them to be “new, now happening.” After receiving this advise the sheep choose to rap their clients to sleep in order to be new, now and happening. The audiences of this ad are people who need mattresses or people who are thinking of buying a new mattress to help them fall asleep faster. Serta’s trying to sell their mattresses as being the so comfortable, using it is the fastest way to fall asleep. This ad successfully used their well known mascots, the counting sheep, and comedy to sell their product.

The Garnier Fructis Ad

The Garnier Fructis ad is a classic shampoo ad. In the commercial, a woman with broken dull hair can’t have fun at a party. After washing her hair with Garnier Fructis shampoo, her hair becomes shiny and healthy. She not only has beautiful hair, but she is now able to have fun, play with a couple of guys and obtain some lip lock action from one of them. The Garnier Fructis ad shows that supposedly, if a girl wants a life of fun and boys, washing her hair with Garnier Fructis shampoo is all she needs to do. It gives the idea that a girl needs long luscious hair to have a guy or a boyfriend. This ad does a good job of attacking one’s desires. Girls do want to have a life of fun and to be able to attain a boyfriend; this is the life many girls wish to have. Obviously Garnier Fructis shampoo cannot give anyone this, but again, it does do a good job at calling at these desires.

A Burger King Advertisement-Waking Up with The King

Using Race in Advertising

I think using race in advertisements is a smart advertising tactic. People tend to associate themselves with people similar to them be it by race, age, or sex. I do think that it is not morally right sometimes but it is used for the right reason of selling a product or service and making money. Even though a certain race might be portrayed wrongfully, as long as the advertisement is used to sell something rather than an idea, I think it is fine. There is nothing wrong with trying to make money. When people relate to a product it makes them feel at home or think about memories that are similar to the Advertisement. Personally if a product shows some West Indian culture, it makes me think of fun times in Trinidad with my cousins or even going to Barbados for a vacation. It makes me think of the relaxation of a vaction or the joy of sharing time with family. Most people will think that I’m crazy for associating with a product like that but persuade enough crazy people and the product will be a success.

Serta's Counting Sheep Advertisement

Is Patriotism Effective in Political Advertisements

I think patriotism is very effective in political advertisements. I think people naturally have pride in their country and would be proud of a politician who has that same patriotism. Using myself as an example, I am very patriotic and would vote for a politician who is also patriotic over a politician who isn't. People who are patriotic would be able to relate to their politician who is also patriotic and probably have the feeling that they have the same idea of pride for their country so they will probably have the same views as them. I think patriotism has an even more important affect in political advertisements in today's world. We are active in war in two countries and the credibility and perception of the country have changed dramatically in the recent years. People want to have a politician who has same feeling for the country through the good and the bad. I believe patriotism will always be an effective tactic in political advertisements and more so in today's politics.

Aflac's Advertisement with the Aflac Duck

In this advertisment, Aflac uses their Aflac Duck to inform its audience on the policies of it company. Aflac is a supplemental heath and life insurance. The company introduced the duck in 1999, and since then the duck has gained in popularity. The audience of this advertisement are working people without supplemental health insurance. In the advertisement, two working women speak about what happened to a fellow co-worker after she got hurt. The women speak about the disadvantages of not having supplemental health insurance and the advantages of having Aflac Insurance. Like many other Aflac commercials, in this commercial the Aflac Duck repeatedly says the companies name, Aflac, when people ask who gives supplemental health insurance with the particular policies of the company. The advertisement takes place in an airport and an airplane because the working people in the the ad are flight attendants. Flight attendants are average working people and are used to represent the average worker who can get hurt and might need supplemental life insurance. The text at the end of the commercial is very simple which is used to just inform the audience about the company. The Aflac Duck is used for comic relief in the commercial which makes people think of the funny duck when thinking about the insurance company, which then causes people to have a happy memory in association with the insurance company. Using the Aflac duck was a strategic approach to advertising using comedy to sell. The company also has the advantages of having an advertising character or mascot which provides loyalty from the audience to the character or the company. The Aflac Duck has risen in popularity since its introduction in 1999 and whenever people see a white duck, people tend to think of the Aflac Duck and the struggle it has to inform people on the insurance company.