Television Commercial Analysis - Essay Example

URL: http www.ad-awards.com/commercials/directory/categories/medias_-_entertainment/apple/commercials-28-206.html Television Commercial Analysis Whether we choose to recognize it or not, the media plays a large role in how we define ourselves as men and women, whether we are active or inactive, happy, sad, successful, attractive or a dozen other questions regarding who and what we are. These definitions come from the images we are presented with in combination with subtle clues that both reflect and define the social culture of a given time period. Whether it is in the movies we watch, the TV programs that air nightly, the magazine stories or the advertisements that break up the spaces in between, we cannot avoid these images and cultural definitions. Because advertisers are trying to gain the attention of their target consumer group, they work hard to depict the ideals of the society. If young and slim is attractive, they will work that into their presentation in as many ways as they can. If macho and hard is the current fashion, this, too, will be reflected in the way a product is marketed. At the same time, by changing the way they combine different types of visual clues, these same media outlets can help to redefine a culture, to make it more tolerant of ecological issues, for example, or to change the way a society views gender roles. A national advertisement for Apple computers demonstrates how commercials can even compare two comparable products while still sending a message that places particular emphasis on identity values. The commercial features two men standing in an empty white room. There are no other colors, no walls and no distractions from these two guys. One introduces himself as a Mac computer and the other introduces himself as a PC. The one claiming to be a PC is dancing, causing the Mac guy to notice his I-pod music player. This starts a conversation about how the I-pod works seamlessly with PC’s I-tunes and brings out some helpful suggestions from Mac regarding I-movie, I-photo and I-web, which all, apparently, come with Mac in a specialized package called I-life designed to make the Mac owner’s life more entertainment friendly, accessible and usable. This sets up the disparity between the two machines as PC starts listing the cool features that come in his package, including a calculator and a clock, delivered with as much pride and self-importance as he can muster. Mac provides PC with the opportunity to list more cool user-friendly features with the simple questions “What have you got?” and “Anything else?” These questions are very carefully delivered in a friendly, conversational tone that eliminates any kind of challenge or derogatory suggestion on the part of Mac, but nevertheless serve to point out the inadequacies of the PC. Mac, appearing to be fair-minded and friendly, simply mentions “sounds like hours of fun” without bringing any additional attention to the entertainment software already mentioned. His final statement might be considered slightly sarcastic, but is also somewhat cut off by the ending of the commercial and the display of a flat screen monitor with the blue-backed MAC logo. Although the mood is politely friendly throughout the 30 second spot, through this dialogue, it becomes very apparent that the PC is not able to measure up to the MAC in any way possible. Of course, verbal clues are not the only suggestions the viewer gets that the Mac is better than the PC in this commercial. The producers played heavily on socially determined age stereotypes in selecting the actors to play each part. Mac is portrayed as a younger man, mid-20s, in casual clothing that tends to blend into the styles and attitudes of the younger generations. From his Converse-style tennis shoes, his dingy jeans and grey T-shirt covered with a darker grey hooded sweatshirt, he appears as if he just walked in from hanging out with the guys at the gym or the movie theater. His moppish hair style is appropriate to the grunge state of dress and his face remains neatly unshaved, depicting just the right degree of weekend casual that could be as easily a full-time mode of dress for him. Regardless of his actions or words, this style of dress provides him with an attitude of simple relaxation and acceptance. He lays no judgments on PC and he seems to expect nothing of him, either to have more features than Mac or to have less. By contrast, PC is an older man, automatically out of touch with the wide teenage demographic this commercial is obviously trying to reach. Although he is perhaps not much older, only in his mid-30s maybe, this man is dressed in a full suit and tie with white button down shirt in a perfect imitation of the office drudges of the 1950s. His dress shoes appear to have been recently shined and his leather belt is studded with several devices and gadgets to make communication instantaneous. His thicker frame and wire-rimmed glasses also indicate a man out of touch with the active lifestyle, spending a great deal more of his time in sedentary pursuits under fluorescent lighting. His movements are not as fluid or natural as Mac and his beltful of gadgets indicates a man who has a lot of extraneous baggage and a more stressed lifestyle than the man portraying the Mac. PC knows nothing about the other products Mac mentions and seems pretty impressed with himself that he can offer both a calculator and a clock. It’s interesting to note that at no point in the commercial does Apple ever make any kind of derogatory remark about PCs, with the possible exception of the almost sarcastic comment at the end. The entire message of Apple being better than PC is carried instead in the audience perception of young being better than old and in the preference of relaxed and easy over business attire and encumbered. This way of contrasting things, such as these two people, relies on what is called a ‘binary opposition’, a term that was first brought forward by philosophy Ferdinand de Saussure and the Structuralist movement. “Essentially, the concept of the binary opposition is engendered by the Western propensity to organize everything into a hierarchical structure; terms and concepts are related to positives or negatives, with no apparent latitude for deviation” (Fogarty, 2005). The use of these binary oppositions of young vs. old and relaxed vs. uptight are what works to convey the emotion that PCs are less desirable than Macs in this commercial. Not limited to words alone, these oppositions are so culturally ingrained that they can be presented in terms of imagery, color associations, forms and, in this case, a combination of dress, age and overall appearance/presentation style of the individuals used. “What will not be so immediately obvious at this stage is what this understanding means at a deeper level, for not just meaning but feeling – emotion – that becomes involved in the generation of meaning. In the case of poverty and wealth, you will recognize that we tend to judge a poor person negatively simply because they are not wealthy; we might well feel sympathy for that person, but in very real ways, we will hold to our deeply conditioned negative response to the idea of poverty and transfer this negativity to the poor person” (Campsell, 2006). By playing on these emotions, Apple is hoping to capture the emotions of the growing 20-something demographic. In addition to the obvious symbolism already described between the two men used in the commercials, the dialogue is written to appeal to the average computer user without forcing them to run to the nearest dictionary to understand the differences between one platform and the other. By focusing the language to address the average home user, Apple avoids making their use of the business-suited executive to represent the PCs an insult to the intelligence of the IT managers in the corporate offices that have selected PC platforms for other very technical reasons. It also adds another comparison for the average user – that of the approachable, friendly and easy-going or the highly technical and complicated format of the PC (remember the many devices strapped to the leather belt of the PC). Finally, the ad brings into play one more crucial difference between the PC and the Mac that would naturally make the Mac a better choice – the inclusion of the I-life features that are preferred by younger computer users as their primary form of entertainment. Although it is acknowledged that the I-pod meshes well with I-tunes, which are available on the PC, the suggestion remains that these programs are only available for free on the Mac system without any additional effort. The fact that the PC guy didn’t even know about these programs suggests PCs are not as aware of technological advances as Macs and not as in touch with the modern computer user’s needs. Only Apple, the message is received, is suited to the average person’s lifestyle, realizing the primary uses of the home computer and providing these services for free as a part of their standard package. Despite their use of a neutral background that barely recognizes a floor and neutral colors in the clothing of both men, Apple utilizes subtle cues to convey the emotion that their computers are better than PCs without actually saying so in the text of the dialogue. By paying careful attention to the value contrast of the two men – PCs in medium gray and Mac in a darkly contrasting deep grey – the advertisers are able to give Mac a more dominant presence in the scene on an emotional level. By appealing to socially ingrained binary oppositions such as old vs. young and relaxed vs. uptight, they are also able to appeal to the carefree attitudes of the targeted demographic range. By resisting the urge to make derogatory statements about PCs, they are able to convey an easy acceptance and non-judgmental approachability for all potential computer users, not just those who had realized the benefits of Macs early. Finally, by demonstrating differences in clothing style and available software packages, the advertisers make it clear which computer is the right choice for a ‘now’ generation interested in high quality music and programs without overemphasis on heavy gadgets and plug-ins. Works Cited Campsell, Steve. “Binary Opposition.” English Biz. (2006). June 5, 2006 from Fogarty, Sorcha. “Binary Oppositions.” Literary Encyclopedia. France: University College Cork, February 15, 2005. TBWAChiatDay. “I-Life.” Apple. (2006). June 6, 2006 < http://www.ad-awards.com/commercials/directory/categories/medias_-_entertainment/apple/commercials-28-206.html> Read More