Analysis: "Brotherly Love" (2016) and "#EPICDANCEOFF" (2016)
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Within this advertisement for Coca Cola in 2016, entitled "Brotherly Love", a number of visual, audio and technical codes are used to sell the product and support various attitudes towards the company's brand, therefore promoting it and assisting it in targeting their preferred demographic.
For example, it is interesting to note the colour scheme throughout the advertisement and how it relates to the company's biggest rival, Pepsi, within their niche market. The narrative of the advertisement follows the relationship between two brothers, exploring a story love and conflict, and how the older brother consistently bullies his younger brother: hitting him, kicking him, leaving him without an umbrella in the rain, as examples. It is interesting to note that, throughout these scenes, the older brother is wearing blue clothes whereas the younger brother is wearing red. The colour red is commonly associated with Coca Cola as it is their house colour and the colour blue is associated with their rival drink, Pepsi, whose house colour is blue. Over the years, there has been an ongoing feud between the two companies where they have taken to forms of advertising and marketing to prove superior to the other and better the connotations associated to their brand. Within the advertisement, by association to the brother's behaviours and characters, there are negative connotations of the colour blue and more positive connotations of the colour red.
It can also be noted that this link is further explored as the narrative progresses. As the older brother becomes the hero of the story, rescuing his brother from a group of bullies, his costume colour changes to red, matching his brother and connoting harmony and unison. Likewise, the role of the antagonist is now shifted to the bullies, who are all wearing the colour blue.
In terms of audio codes, the narrative is supported by the use of music - "Hey Brother" by Conrad Sewell, a cover of Avicii's recent hit of the same name - which, as the name suggests, repeatedly uses the word "brother" and talks of a person being there for their brother. Likewise, the hit is recent and modern, therefore targeting a young audience of teenagers who are likely to be between the ages of 13 and 19, which is also enforced by the apparent ages of the brothers featured within the advertisement; by the process of identification, relating to the Uses and Gratifications theory, this is because an audience is likely to positively respond to a media text if they can see themselves reflected within it.
There is a lack of diegetic sound throughout the advertisement, apart from to draw attention to the bottle with the sound of it "clinking" as the older brother taps it, and other barely noticeable uses of diegetic sound, such as the sound of the rain. However, there is no narration or dialogue.
To enforce the brand and sell the company's product, the traditional Coca Cola bottle is used throughout the advertisement so that it is instantly recognisable to the audience as to what it is selling. The traditional bottle is used throughout the advertisement as well as different variations of the product, including Coca Cola Zero.
The concept of Coca Cola's products being desired is strongly built by showing the repetitive use of their brand as well as by association with the fact that the bullies are trying to steal the bottle, and it is unlikely that they would steal something unworthy, and the younger brother is upset by this - again, the connotations of this is that the product must be important or else he wouldn't be upset.
In regards to technical codes, a variety of shot sizes and types are used to offer a deeper sense of a narrative. Likewise, the advertisement is cut similarly to a film in the way that there are numerous clips and shots to make up different scenes within the advertisement, making it easier to follow it's narrative.
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The #EPICDANCEOFF MoneySuperMarket television advertisement (2016) has evident conventions of a comedy genre. For example, the advertisement uses juxtapositions and contradictions of popular stereotypes to create humour within the narrative.
An example of this is the physical attributes of the men featured within the advertisement that adhere to generic conventions associated with masculine stereotypes - short hair, facial hair, suits - being used in contrast to the men also possessing attributes that are generally associated with women - for example, the manner in which the suited man walks and the fact that he is wearing short shorts, high heels and carrying shopping bags, which are all generally associated with femininity.
The comedy is made especially effective with other uses of juxtapositions. For example, the use of low-key lighting generally connotes a dark, serious tone yet the tone of the content within this advertisement directly contradicts it, with the use of dancing that has sexual connotations - pole dancing and "slut drops" - and the modern, fast tempo music "Worth It" by Fifth Harmony (featuring Kid Ink). The fact that the men's behaviour juxtaposes the stereotypes usually associated with men creates the element of humour.
1 comments
In the Coca Cola's advert, you have effectively demonstrated the way the producers employed the visual and technical codes to positively represent the brand over its main competition (Pepsi). Great, detailed explanations of possible preferential readings that the audience might have.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can try to introduce more obviously what you are about to talk about in the beginning of the new point you are going to make. ie) Who was the rival of Coca cola- I only found out towards the middle of your explanation.
In the moneysupermarket advert, you did a good job at identifying the contrasts and elements the producers used to enhance the comical aspects of the advert.
You maybe could have gone in a bit more details on the ways the audience could have decoded some of them and how it would influence their reading of the text.