Analysis of Commercial Advertisement of Doritos Brand
In many cases, commercial advertisements are being made to lure the prospective customers to be informed of the product or service. The main question remains to be; are ethics observed in the commercial adverts? In many cases, viewers have been offended by negatives and unethical commercial adverts which should not be allowed to run to the public. In this paper therefore, an in-depth analysis is made to check on the level of ethics violation in the commercial advert titled: ‘Girl Comes Back to Get Doritos’. The commercial was on of the ones run in the super bowl in the year 2011. It comprises of two characters scrambling over the brand product called Doritos (YouTube, 2011). The major theme in this commercial is to develop the product brand name and to pass the message across to most cultural and social scenes that the product can be universally used be everyone irrespective of gender and race. The commercial is however very effective in passing across the message but greatly violates the ethical perspective of the human kind.
Criteria for Evaluation
Purpose of the Commercial
The primary purpose of the commercial advertisement is to help the viewers identify the product brand name-Doritos. In major parts of the commercial advertisement, the brand name always features dominantly and prominently for the viewers to make it out. On the other hand, the commercial purpose of the commercial advertisement is to persuade the viewers to note that Doritos is very important any person will do what it takes to get their portions. The commercial is very successful in both the primary and the secondary purposes it is meant to convey.
This type of commercial is intended for all the classes of people but higher appeal is made to the girls. The plot showing a man with the Doritos informs men that Doritos is just a good product which they should buy and use. However, the enthusiasm and confidence with which the girl fights it out so as to get the acquisition of the product shows girls that this is a product meant for them. Many people would be offended by the commercial following how the end is portrayed. The girl fight it out to the extent that she retains not only the product that she wanted but even the arm of the man who was reluctant to let go the product. This would offend many viewers as who might have been seen as a simple product scramble ends up in an accident with a person loosing a hand.
The viewer coverage and appeal
The commercial is deigned to reach almost all the viewers. Following the plot, the man initially having the product is of a higher class, inside a Porsche vehicle. However, the girl who comes over for the product is not wealthy. This scenario shows that the product is usable by both the rich and the poor members of the society. It is therefore paramount to note that the product is also portrayed as used by both the men and the women alike following the tussle for the product between both the sexes. More over, the product is also portrayed to show no racial boundaries as the people who fight it out in the commercial are of different races. It would be possible for some viewers to watch the commercial and fail to purchase one. This is because the commercial has non direct appeal to the viewer to purchase one. In fact, the viewer is not recognized in the commercial at all. This implies that with the offence which the commercial carries, some people like the very religious would possibly turn it down.
Cultural values presented
The commercial portrays the racial differences fighting over the same product. It would be very easier for a person to imagine that it is a common place for the dark skinned and the light complexion skinned people to always fight one another. This should not be the case. Moreover, the commercial portrays the dark skinned person as the poor one; possibly who cannot buy the product for themselves and so fight it out from the white skinned person who is portrayed as the rich person able to purchase the product. Finally, the gender imbalance has been highly portrayed in the commercial. The girl is portrayed as the poor one who fights out what the man considered to be the rich one has bought.
Methodology and theme
The commercial give the audience the opportunity to observe for themselves the product in question. Through the personal direct observation, the company seeks to reach the viewers mind and instill the concept of the product in them the product is also aggressively fought over to show how important it is to the commercial viewers. The major theme the commercial deploys here is the product brand name and how it is important in life. Normally, people should always have food to eat, which is a common and normal thing to do. However the themes presented here though both presents the same need to satisfy human needs to have something to eat, the theme in the commercial is just so aggressive and this gives the difference.
The commercial is organized in a very informal setting. The man in a Porsche vehicle is driving when he seemingly stops to take a bite on the Doritos. But the moment he takes the fist bit, a poor girl comes from outside the vehicle and gets hold of his throat so that he should not even swallow the first bite. They then start fighting over the product. This means that the commercial is portrayed in each and every instance of the run time as the name is played out very conspicuously
There is no vocal language used in the commercial, but the viewer is attracted to the commercial by a musical tune. After which, the events which unfolds lets the viewer to make out for themselves through physical observation the need to have the product presented in the commercial. This is therefore that kind of informal language used which is very appropriate for the audience which might not be able to understand a particular language. The commercial is thus meant foe every both, the literate and the illiterate so make o the theme and act accordingly by purchasing the product.
The three A’s analysis
The commercial presents a situation where there is use of ethical appeals in the passing of the message about the product to the viewers. The commercial portrays the human need for food as very important and Doritos is just coming in to satisfy the same need to the customers. However, there is a lot of unfair use of the ethical appeal by presenting great aggressiveness of the need to satisfy this important aspect of human nature. The logical appeal is also presented and used accordingly. The fact that the girl is portrayed as a winner who is satisfied despite the cost of the satisfaction from the state of initial need shows logic in the commercial. Emotional appeal is majorly portrayed by the girl fighting for the product with a lot of aggression.
Evaluation of the commercial
The plot of the commercial is just very important for the development of the theme of the commercial. It is important to realize that the situation where a person in the state of need as the girl is made to fight it out in the whole scenario and finally gets the product helps to tell the viewers that they too can get the product no matter the cost. The informal setting of the plot on the road shows that the product can be used anywhere, anytime and by anybody. The characters likewise show a universal acceptance and use of the product in the commercial.
Similarly, there is a strong use of the pacing to show the aggression in the context of the tussle. The setting on the broad daylight on the road has a summative effect that anybody can use the product anytime and anywhere. The commercial makes full use of the visual effects to relay the message forward to the audience. Sound is only used to introduce the advert and to attract the attention of the people. The rest are left to be viewed by the eye through direct observations. It is important to note that the plot provides the final objective to have been achieved in the commercial.
From the above analysis, it is important to not that a number of unethical issues do arise. The commercial does represent gender, racial and social imbalances. When making prime time commercial adverts, it is important to consider these issues not to be included as they might also lead to misunderstanding of the commercial message presented. Ethics must therefore be considered in such circumstances.