Monday, May 4, 2009

Smell




Everything we see and everything we say has a purpose. Even if that purpose is to not have a purpose, there is still a purpose. The media uses a variety forms of advertising to appeal to our different senses in order to get us, the consumers, intrigued in a certain product. Each ad they present to the public has a sender, message, emotion, language and logic behind it. It is important for us to be perceptive of these intentions in order not to be looped into their marketing trap.
E*trade is an online banking company that believes its resources are so easy to use a baby can do it. Clearly trying to get the consumer to use their online banking instead of any other boring and complex competitors. The ad is fairly simple, a baby talking directly to you, the audience and consumer, while doing so he gets on his brand new phone. This phone is a top of the line expensive blackberry most likely nicer and newer than the majority of the audiences phones , already subconsciously creating a complex in your mind that you need that phone and whatever service they are offering. This service they are offering you just happens to be something in which you could invest your money and then have enough to afford that phone. Coincidence, I think not! The first topic up for discussion happens to be none other than the principle this country was built upon, freedom. By using E*Trade mobile pro, you too could be a free man, you will be able to "go anywhere you want", now isn't that every mans dream?
While talking to you, explaining how you can achieve the dream every person vies for by using this mobile online banking and trading service on your brand new shiny phone the baby gets an e-mail from, yes you guessed it, a girl! Now not only does he have the ultimate ideological dream of freedom by using this service but he also gets every mans fantasy- GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS! Mix in a cool hip ringtone that interrupts him, because the girls want him so badly, and you have what society perceives as every mans desires- freedom, money, cool new electronics, girls, and popularity.
Obviously he can not answer the phone with the typical hello but must say "Hey girl!" and then proceeds to as her if he can "hit her back". This slang language is used to add an element of coolness, and you would get that too if you just used this mobile trading service.
The commercial ends with a rapid fire explanation of the company and this new service and how you could join a community of people who use it because after all there are a thousand new accounts a day! E*Trade pulls out every stop from humor in the use of a talking baby to the potential of receiving your every dream by using their service in order to get you hooked into their product, but the real kicker to all this is- they do it all in just thirty seconds.

1 comment:

APLITghosts said...

I love this. I want you to write like this tomorrow. Are you taking the test tomorrow? Go into more analysis of the diction and imagery etc. A bit more in depth is good, but also good job with the big picture.