Media+Log-Coca+Cola



 Jennifer Cicchini  Media Log #3  MSET 593/ 5/1/10   __Description __: Coca-Cola commercial from Superbowl 2007  As the commercial starts, the audience might think they’re watching a commercial for the video game, Grand Theft Auto. There is music present at the beginning, but it is instrumental with a drumbeat. You are introduced through visuals to a tough looking fellow who drives through the city recklessly and winds up at a small storefront. He is sporting mirror sunglasses, a black leather jacket, and blue jeans. He is a computer animated character. As he enters the store, he makes some people on the street scatter as he recklessly parks his car on the street in front of the store. He enters the store and the clerk raises both hand in the air sure that he will be a victim of robbery. The tough looking guy goes straight to the Coca-Cola refrigerator and grabs a bottled Coke and starts to drink it. He slams the money for the Coke on the counter while the clerk still has his hand up in the air. He then exits the store and walks out into the street stopping traffic as he walks into the middle of the street. He grabs the shirt of a clean cut looking guy driving a convertible, red sports car and pulls him out of his car and instead of beating him up or stealing his car he roughly places a bottle of coke in the clean cut guy’s hand. A guy playing his guitar on the sidewalk is singing in the background, “Give a little love and the love comes back to you”, while the tough guy walks by and throws some money into the guitar case. The “Give a little love” song continues as the tough guy walks down the sidewalk and puts out a fire in a barrel, and then walks by an armored truck as a man unloading money bags drops one off the top of the pile. The tough guy catches is and tosses it back onto the pile and continues walking to a pink car in the street. The car is full of young teenagers and one with a backpack is about to be left behind, but tough guy grabs him by the backpack and assists him into the crowded pink car. Tough guy continues down the sidewalk and recovers a purse that has been stolen from an old lady. The end of the commercial culminates with a “Disney’ inspired parade theme as Tough guy continues walking with fountains of water spewing, umbrellas twirling, hot dog carts forming circular designs, rats doing the can-can, and pyramids of people on either side of Tough guy. All during the parade the “Give a little love” song continues playing. For most of the commercial, the camera angles are high, except when you are introduced to Tough Guy. The city is dark and dreary until Tough Guy starts showing the good side of himself, then the lighting gets brighter.  __Meaning __:  I think this commercial was made to influence teenagers and young adults because of the use of the “Grand Theft Auto”, but even older people appreciate it because the character you think is a bad guy, turns out to be a good guy. Coca-Cola’s commercials in the past have given the audience a good feeling, and this one makes you feel good in the end too. It gives you hope that there are good people even in the most unlikely places. Advertisers want the audience to think that drinking Coke makes you want to treat others with kindness. If Tough Guy just went into the store and stole a Coke, the commercial audience would question his intent. This commercial uses the “switch” technique in that the main character is depicted as one thing and turns out to be something totally different. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Judgments __<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">This was a very effective commercial in making the audience feel good at the end. It subtly gives you a sense of hope that not all people in the heart of the big city are bad people. I don’t think people are naïve enough to think that drinking a Coke will make them save the world, but maybe it would make people think about doing good deeds in a world of people that sometime seem very egocentric. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">[]