Commercial Critiques (Sorry these we’re not posted every day Dr. Kohn!)
Axe Angels Axe Excite Body Spray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J6ie2ZiCGI&feature=related
I absolutely loved this commercial, even though I found it to be very strange. To begin with, the music completely sets the scene for this commercial. Many different angels at various locations drop from the sky. They gracefully and sexually walk towards a certain point. All the men featured in this commercial are in a state of shock and stare in amazement at this strange occurrence/beautiful women. This commercial really draws the viewer in at the beginning and I even thought to myself, “where are these beautiful angels walking to?” They do not speak which I find very appealing to any young man. They throw down their halos and they shatter on the ground. Simultaneously, the music escalates as the voices sing, “sexxyy boy.” It’s implying that “even angles will fall” for the new Axe excite deodorant.
The production techniques for this commercial were very much animated at the beginning. The only sound we hear in the entire commercial is the man at the beginning. The music dominates the 30-second ad and heightens the commercial at various times. I love how the commercial is presented as crisp and clean. By this I mean that the angels are perfect in contrast to setting around them. The men featured in this film look dirty and the town looks stark in contrast to these majestic looking angels. I’m not sure what production techniques were used to do this commercial but I think the tagline is very solid. They illustrated “even angels will fall” beautifully and I would not have a changed it at all!
Carpet Nohair Vereinte-Laser Permanent Hair Removal (couldn’t find a link)
This commercial was very strange! It began with a young girl walking into a room covered with a thick, musty carpet. She pulls the rough fabric up very slowly. Once she has pulled all of it up, she drags it down the stairs and throws it away. Every action was done very slowly and with a deliberate effort. After the old carpet was gone, she walks back up the stairs and into the room. The same dark, disgusting carpet has reappeared mysteriously. She begins to pull the carpet up, just like the previous. Then, it said Nohair Vereinte (Permanent Hair Removal) on a black screen. After that, I realized that it was for laser hair removal. I found the commercial to be very un-American. I know there is no one definition for American, but this commercial would probably not ever appear on a TV in the U.S. It wasn’t cheerful at all and it seemed very peculiar at first. This commercial also seemed very dark. I assume the producer of this commercial was trying to convey that shaving your legs is an annoying, repetitive task. I personally don’t mind shaving all that much, but I do understand how shaving can be tedious.
The tagline for this commercial was “end the drama.” The way they explored this idea is profound and I would have never used carpet as analogy for hair. If I were to recreate this commercial I would delete the carpet. I would haven taken a different approach to the phrase “end the drama.” Instead, I would have the same girl staring into a closet. She would have to make a choice between what to wear for the evening, either a dress or a pair of jeans. Then, the new tagline would be “end difficult decisions.” The phrase would be stamped across the screen and then it would say Nohair Vereinte. I feel like this would be more effective slogan because the viewer can easily pick up on the service they’re advertising!
Otrivan Nasal Spray-Shoelaces
http://www.canneslions.com/work/film/entry.cfm?entryid=20593&award=2
I thought this commercial was hilarious! I can easily relate because I have used nose spray my whole life! It starts with a man waiting at a bus stop with his mouth wide open. A older lady stands beside him and glances over at his shoelaces (because one of them isn’t tied!) He continues to breath really hard while all of this is occurring. The lady finally makes the move to tie his shoe and he tries to move his foot away. I love the mix of stupidity and comedy together. The phrase, “You look dumber with your mouth open,” is so simple yet so ideal for this campaign. Then it fades to an image of the nose spray where it says, “the pleasure of breathing.”
The characters they chose for this commercial worked flawlessly. The awkwardness of the situation made this commercial funnier. Also, this scenario could easily happen in real life, which makes it more applicable to the viewer. The production techniques for this commercial seemed so cheap and it only involved a couple frames from different angles. I’ve noticed that the best commercials are the ones where there is no talking and the character’s actions speak for themselves. I would not change anything about this commercial!
Premature Perspiration-New Axe Full Control
http://www.canneslions.com/work/film/entry.cfm?entryid=19067&award=99
I found this commercial funny, yet very weird. It starts out with a man narrating the clip. He says, “Many men have a small problem.” Just this line begins the commercial in a sarcastic tone. It shows seven different situations where men begin to profusely sweat when in the presence of women. The first example is when the girl holds the guy’s hand. He breaks out into a massive sweat fest and the girl leaves. The next situation I found hilarious was when the guy looks down at his phone and the girl’s picture appears above her number. He hasn’t even had time to answer the phone, but his shirt is soaked from all the perspiration. Another time is when a guy is hunched over studying in the library and a girl across the way pops her bubble gum. The simple act of the girl popping her gum turns mr. nerdy into mr. sweaty.
The production techniques used in making this commercial were simple. The circumstances the men were faced with made “premature perspiration” seem very realistic. This commercial made sweating seem like some kind of reaction to being sexually enticed by females. The producers seem to enjoy the sarcastic nature and continue to play on it throughout. If I were to change anything about this commercial it would be the locations of where the men begin to sweat. I would add a scene where a girl and a guy are at the movie theater. During the movie, the girl reaches over to grab some popcorn out of the shared bucket. Obviously, the guy would begin to perspire and couldn’t enjoy the rest of the movie!
Star Wars-Volkswagen
http://www.canneslions.com/work/film/entry.cfm?entryid=6396&award=99
This was my favorite commercial by far! I seriously could watch this one over and over again and not get tired of it. It begins with Imperial March Music from Star Wars playing in the background. A young boy is outfitted in Star Wars gear and walks around the house throwing his hands up at random objects. He attempts to make things come to life. He tries the treadmill, the laundry machine, the baby doll, and then the sandwich. He raises his hands and points at these objects but none of them come to life. Finally, he runs out to his dad’s car when he arrives home from work, completely avoiding a hug from his dad, and stands in front of the car with his hands raised. The automobile roars to life. The little boy does a double take and is completely amazed. Inside, the viewer sees his dad pressing the automatic start button on his keychain.
I loved the intuitive storyline behind this ad. It was a favorite during the Super Bowl and I can see why! The great thing about this commercial is that the production aspects seem relatively cheap. The humor and simplicity of this commercial makes it 10 times better (again, no words were needed!) I wouldn’t change a single thing about this commercial!
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