Music in Advertising

These series of commercials were extremely popular (at least until they were over done). Why was that? For no other reason then the commercial epitomizes most of the functions of music in advertising. The commercials are entertaining, made even more so by the presence of the catchy music. The music give what would be a series of very obscure commercials some structure, mediating between the disjointed images. Now, the most important function of the music in these commercials especially (since the music is what holds the information the company wants to convey) is the memorability. It serves the purpose of the classic jingle; to stay with you and be that song the consumer finds themselves singing and don’t know why. And with this specific kind of music, the advertising firm is targeting a certain kind of group with a certain kind of lifestyle. This kind of music is kind of hip, kind of goofy, something that would attract a young demographic that is getting out of college and trying to buy a house.


A possible impact that this commercial may have on popular culture is the development of real bands that form and find fame from advertisements. We may be heading toward an era of a decline in underground music and a trend towards commercialization and an attempt to break through from an extreme commercial stand point. 

Ads in Angry Birds

In this post I want to discuss in game advertising like this one here found in a still from the VERY popular game Angry Birds. Now unlike the examples seen in class, this ad is extremely blatant and more importantly annoying. At first I was surprised to see this type of advertising in a day and age where advertising is so well hidden and creative. The examples of in game advertising seen in class were “well hidden” often on in game billboards and banners. I find this specific form of advertising too abrasive. It doesn’t flow, it distracts from the game and it becomes so annoying that it’s angering until the point where the consumer simply ignores it completely.

            So is it affective advertising? Well, sort of. The ads are so non inclusive and distracting that at least for the first couple of weeks you play this game, you cant help but notice the ads. And as far as the effect on popular culture, I believe this trend of blatant in game advertising will lead to a society in which ads in games will be seen as a norm instead of an exception. Now, cell phone popularity is almost universal so a specific demographic is hard to pin when discussing a game such as this. However, we can give it a broad range of ages 12-32; those who are tech savvy enough for smart phones that use them for leisure and not just business.

Fanta: Comedy with an International Reach

The intended audiences are teens, probably between 13-18, possibly even college students because high school was close enough to where these classroom situations are still relatable. I mean, college students still have crazy professors. I know that advertisers often try to localize advertisements because cultural differences are often great. Core values and humor especially, are regularly not universal. However, globalization and the boom of social networking are quickly closing the gap on cultural differences that distance once occupied. 

Now, a commercial that I would never see on television is on my Facebook news feed both entertaining me and doing its job as an advertisement, selling me Fanta. This is the future of advertising. Viral Videos that are so universally entertaining that people seek them out and pass them on with no cost to the company. Localization is important, but it should by no means be the only means of creating advertisements. For even after laughing and walking away from my laptop, I can’t help but want to taste a peach Fanta. Well done Fanta.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

The beer industry is a very competitive market due to huge barriers of entry, and unfathomable amounts of competition, from huge brewery conglomerates to the millions of locally brewed beers around the world. To ensure that one beer is exalted above the rest, companies have invested billions of dollars into beer advertising. America’s funniest and best commercials year after year come from beer companies such as Coors, Budweiser, and Miller. They usually all involve either, being manly, being cool, getting hot (specifically busty) girls, or being extremely humorous (an usually a humor geared towards men). But one company has stood out above the rest in its current marketing campaign combining all of the characteristics previously mentioned.

             Dos Equis newest spokesman is “the most interesting man in the world”. The commercials are the whole package. In regards to the advertising appeals mentioned in class, these commercials cover most of them; sex, guidance, dominance, prominence, attention, and even escape. At this point you should probably watch the add below. Yea, prominence oozes from it, and not even in a blatantly pretentious way! He’s so calm, cool, and collected its funny but so cool at the same time. That’s the way prominence works in commercials, and the reason why celebrities usually are the ones filling this role. Ads that use prominence as a main advertising appeal focus on creating a person or a kind of person they feel they public will want to be. The catch is, the only way to fulfill this wish is to by their product.

            The Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” is meant to make one laugh, but at the same time point out how awesome he is by listing off all of his amazing feats that the ordinary man could never replicate, however, the one thing anybody can do to be more classy, more appealing, more adventurous, is drink a Dos Equis. Well played Dos Equis, well played.