Over Thanksgiving
break, my mom and I were watching The
Good Wife. During the show, one commercial came on that was particularly
upsetting. Currently, American Airlines is advertising how their airline is
supporting troops. The entire commercial is tinted grey, which you would not
notice unless you were paying close attention. By changing the color, they are
manipulating the viewer to feel more depressed, without he or she even
realizing. The advertisement also shows a young child running over to a female
soldier to give her a drawing that she drew for her while lying on the floor of
the gate. This is heartbreaking because it explains that children are
inevitably involved in something as devastating as war. American Airlines
touches on the audience’s emotions because everyone is able to relate to some
aspect of the commercial such as a ticket counter, or boarding an airplane. The
commercial persuades you want to take their airline because everyone seems
compassionate and associated with those around them. It also shows a relaxing
and pleasant gate and airport environment, which we all know is usually not the
case.
I think this
commercial is just a poignant and heart rendering as the ASPCA ones of abused
animals. However, I think American Airlines influences a wider audience because
I was not so upset that I had to change the channel, and I am more likely to be
manipulated to take an airplane than to adopt a new dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tgm33OrO3k
That is pretty funny how empty and relaxing they portrayed the airport to be. I also agree that they were trying to show that their airline represented everything good about people. I think that if the airline shows a commercial like this viewers are more likely to leave it on as apposed to one of southwest's joke commercials. Also a viewer might think that if they change the channel that means they don't support the troops. This would apply more so if you were with friends because people care what others think about them. And yes taking a trip on a plane is much less of a commitment so it is an easier item, per say, to get viewers to want.
ReplyDeleteI had not seen that particular American Airlines commercial before, and I also found it particularly interesting, not even so much as a piece of advertising, but as a piece of film. I wonder, if we removed the actual connection between the soldiers and the particular airline in the first place, could we talk about the advertisement as a piece of art? Does the persuasive goal of the piece diminish its quality as a short film?
ReplyDeleteBelow is a great example of an aesthetic advertisement which, until almost the last frame of the film, doesn't contain any product placement (In this particular case it happens to be for Thai Life Insurance) until the very last frames.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1wpMUYAjiI
In terms of the artistic quality of the piece as a whole, is it diminished by the presence of those last few seconds? I am honestly having trouble answering that myself. As a medium of information, I can't see any reason why advertisement and art (particularly film) can't overlap, but it nonetheless makes me uneasy to claim that it has as much value as another short, artistically-independent film production. Does anyone have any thoughts?