Gatorade "Big Heads"

Gatorade usually markets to athletes who are “older” in sense because there are many intense and hardcore advertisements giving viewers ideas like never giving up or making history. Usually the Gatorade advertisements are geared toward young adults and older athletes.

Then I came across this Gatorade advertisement entitled “Big Heads.” During the commercial, the kids are the kids with the athlete of their choice as their head. The kids are the “players” in a sense and in this commercial Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, Jennie Finch, Derek Jeter, and Peyton manning were the heads of the five kids. Each “kid” excelled at the sport they represented. Most importantly, we can’t forget about the colored sweat from which represents the Gatorade they drank.

I found this to be particularly interesting because Gatorade is trying to appeal to a younger audience by telling them the same thing they tell to older people, just in a different way. This commercial is more fun and laid back, but at the same time showing that Gatorade still carries the identity of a hard working superstar. With Gatorade, showed in this commercial, kids can be their favorite athletes who also drink Gatorade and be awesome like they are. This commercial, in my opinion, is very effective not only to the kids but also parents because it takes away the “intense” factor with this commercial and makes it more “kid” friendly. Hopefully Gatorade does more advertisements like this to attract more buyers in the younger age group which would be an investment to future customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SihaR6U2038

McDonalds in Japan

While I "youtubing" this past week, I came across advertisements for McDonalds in Japan. I was shocked at the different approach McDonalds took in selling their burgers in Japan. The Ronald McDonald figure we are all familiar too is the plump, curly hair, and warm character. We feel a sense of friendliness and familiarity with the Ronald McDonald we see in the U.S. In Japan, the male Ronald is a very slim, tall character. He is dressed very well and he probably is a model. At first glance, the advertisement seems to be a model or clothing advertisement, if you don’t notice the colors, but towards the end of the commercial, the Ronald figure pulls out the burger. Seeing this commercial, I can definitely see the cultural differences in Japan and the U.S. People in Japan need to see this burger as something that is not unhealthy and it needs to be something that can be sleek and attractive. McDonalds did an excellent job capturing this image through the model and the basic idea is that if a model that looks fit and attractive can eat this and keep in shape, YOU can do it too. The image McDonalds is selling in Japan is completely different from the image they are selling in the U.S. People in the U.S. do not think of a attractive model, but a plump Ronald who eats and plays with our kids. This advertisement also very effectively shows that knowing the audience is key in getting the message across. This advertisement is also one of two advertisements that McDonalds aired in Japan to sell this image through their burgers. 

Remaking of a Classic Ad

In 1993, McDonalds starred Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in a Big Mac commercial where they played HORSE to see who would eat the Big Mac. Now fast forward 18 years and you have Dwight Howard and Lebron James playing a game of HORSE, but now only dunking, to see who would eat the Big Mac. Interestingly enough both commercial are practically the same thing. In both commercials they make impossible shots adding a hint of humor to make the advertisement more interesting. In the 1993 ad Larry Bird tells Michael Jordan that dunks are not allowed and in the 2011 ad Dwight Howard tells Lebron James that jump shots are not allowed, which seems pretty funny because even great players have something that they can’t do.

Now for the rhetorical analysis…

The 2011 ad, much like the 1993 ad, gives off a friendly vibe where in which two friends enjoy a friendly competition in order to eat the meal. The two players don’t seem like basketball players but more like friends who are meeting up to enjoy each other’s company. This warm and friendly feeling is important to support the image of McDonalds because fast food restaurants usually don’t have an air of friendliness but they are usually depicted as cold, industrial companies trying to maximize profit. Then both players perform impossible dunks throughout the game of HORSE and this signifies that people will do ANYTHING in order to eat a Big Mac because it is just that good. This exemplifies the quality and flavor of the Big Mac itself because even if it may just be a burger, it is a burger for which you would do ridiculous things to get. The last scene where Larry Bird comes in and thanks the guys for the lunch is really interesting because the players “seem” to not recognize him but just the fact that their lunch was stolen. Larry Bird is one of the most fascinating players that ever played the game of basketball and yet two basketball All Stars do not recognize him. This use of humor is to show how important the Big Mac is compared to even a legendary basketball player.

Here is the older advertisement so you can compare the two commercials.