I want to start off by saying that as soon as I read the commercial title for :Volkswagon: The Force," I immediately started laughing because I remember it as being my favorite commercial from the Super Bowl last year.
Analysis: In its most obvious and simplest form, Volkswagon paid millions of dollars for the ad time in hopes that it would get people to buy their vehicles. Of course, because it was during the Super Bowl, this is not only meant to be accomplished by people passively watching the ad, but also because they want people to talk about the commercial as well.
Audience: Taking place during the Super Bowl, this commercial may have had one of the widest and largest American audiences of anything televised during 2013. Again, the most obvious answer to who VW intended the commercial for is anyone who is of necessary age and socioeconomic status to purchase a car. Where the commercial would be enjoyed most by Star Wars fans, I feel that the character portrayed by the kid in the ad is one that almost all Americans at least have an idea of who he is. Digging even deeper, what grown up has not at some point in their childhood wished or imagined that they had special powers?
The commercial is portrayed both through the eyes of a kid pretending/trying to be Darth Vader as well as his/her parents. In this case, having both perspectives is important so that the audience understands what the child was doing building up to the car alarm going off, as well as the parents so that they understand how it actually worked.
Representation: It seems that the commercial tried to portray a stereotypical American family, where the child is at home playing with the mother at home and the father is at work. While the mother appears to be doing housework, the father is wearing a suit when he comes out of the car, which says something about his social status. Having this type of family in the commercial, while it may not be an accurate depiction of all families in the audience, it may be most familiar to the intended audience. Obviously, families who do not fit this mold, such as where both parents work, where just the mother works, where they have retired, as well as many other circumstances are not being represented.
Design: Although I am not an expert in marketing, I feel that the commercial was brilliant from a video production and entertainment standpoint. There was suspense created through the music as well as the actions of the child, and the commercial ended on a comical note. I think that using the character and fictional family unit that they did appeals to a large audience, and airing the ad during the Super Bowl was an excellent way to make sure that the audience saw it. I truly feel that a video without the music, or a magazine ad without the video would not be able to communicate the same message.
Thanks for posting Ben! I enjoyed reading your analysis, especially because I hadn’t seen this commercial before. I really liked the way you explained the family structure and representation. Like you said, even though the typical Dad at work, Mom at home isn’t necessarily true for all families, it is not an unfamiliar idea to anyone. Therefore, the ad can be understood by a large demographic. I also felt that the design of the commercial was well thought-out, and portrayed something you cannot get from a magazine ad. The music kept me interested the entire time, and by the end I knew that the child’s “powers” were going to come into play and make something actually happen. The commercial is definitely relatable, as most children and adults can remember wanting super powers or pretending they had them. Overall, I felt that the music choice and suspense of the ad is what made it so fun and endearing to watch. While not everyone knows who Darth Vader is, the music and costume is enough to give viewers the idea of what is going on. Another thing I thought of was that it was a smart choice to just use music and no talking. I know for me at least, I’m so used to hearing talking coming from the TV that if I hear only music I will most likely look up from what I am doing to see what is on the TV. Also, during the SuperBowl, TVs are most likely on a high volume, so the use of the menacing Star Wars song creates an even more powerful effect.
ReplyDelete-Lauren C
Web-based Multimedia 2014
I like how you tapped in on the fact that all the elements of the ad work together to produce one message. The music couldn't work without the video or the magazine ad without the video couldn't work. In the design article, "Visual Literacy and Message Design" by Pettersson, the idea of visual literacy and message design overlapping (p. 40) is thoroughly discussed. When I read your statement about that I just kept thinking about how important each element of an ad or commercial is. No one element can seem to stand on its own. This also made me think of teaching and how I had been taught. I know that I learned skills in isolation. You learn one thing at a time and then put all the skills together. Now, that won't work. The ads embody the three subject matters discussed by Pettersson, communication design, information design and presentation design (p. 40). It is amazing to see theory in practice.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben!
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis of this commercial was great. I also remember loving this Super Bowl commercial, which leads me to my comment... I remembered this commercial so well, but I had no idea what the commercial was for! It was definitely for a car, I remembered that much. But the fact that it was a VW commercial really did not stick out in my mind, even right after the Super Bowl, when everyone was talking about it. People referred to it as "That Star Wars Commercial", and no one seemed to really care that it was for Volkswagen. So, while I absolutely adore this commercial and think that whoever came up with it is brilliant, I don't know if I would call it absolutely effective in getting the consumer to buy the product. Just a thought :)
Ben,
ReplyDeleteYou pick up on a great point about this commercial in terms of the family dynamic: Volkswagen drivers have a certain amount of money. This could also be seen as the ideal family, with the ideal pet, driving the ideal car. There is definitely an element of suspense- if I did not know the title of this commercial, I would not have known what this commercial was advertising. The focus on the child draws people in and the dramatic Star Wars music keeps our interest and the ending makes us feel lighthearted and warm inside. Perhaps there is a bigger message? Volkswagen makes even our wildest dreams come true? This commercial definitely appeals to our emotions and tugs on our heartstrings, associating VW with happiness.
Lexi
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteI must say, that your interpretation of the Ad is more interesting and meaningful than the actual commercial.
I like copy writers basic idea,,,family, wife, husband, kid, sweet home and VW.
We can connect easily to the idea of kids getting fasinated by super natural powers and power ranger costumes.
The best part of the video was the remote start key fob, I remember my kids reaction when they saw it for first time.
I strongly felt that Director could have done much better job putting everything together.
I felt that this commercial could't connect to the people that well.
Volkswagen has spend millions of dollars to make this Ad, it could have been more eye catchy and memorable.
Thanks,
Prasanthi
Great point. I analyzed this commercial too and didn't pick up on the portrayal of the family dynamic with mom at home with child and father out working. I guess I was too busy wishing I had the power of the force to activate machines.
ReplyDelete