Analyzing an Ad

Essay Topic: Analyzing an Ad

Essay questions:

                         • What product or service is being advertised?
                         • What advertising technique does the ad employ? : humour  Celebrity endorsement? Personal                          testimonial? Image? Product quality? Sale or promotion?
                         • What is the message of the ad?
                         • What about the ad immediately appeals to you?
                         • What demographic (age/ sex) do you think the ad is targeting?
                         • Does the ad provide you with the information to what is most important to you when choosing to buy? If not why do you think this information is not included?

                         • Do you think the ad is misleading?
                         • What are ways you would change the ad to make it meet as a consumer?
                         • Think about things you’d bought recently, which of the following influences buyer advertising,  appearance, brand-loyalty, origin, durability, environmental impact, labour, colour, behaviour  price, popularity, product guarantee.

The humorous Volkwagen’s Commercial: “The Force” was released for the new family car Volkswagen Passat 2012, introducing a six years old boy disguised as the Star Wars' character: Darth Vader. Despite failing in his multiple attempts to use “The Force”, he is shocked to discover he is able to start the car using the powers of the unforgettable science-fiction character.

Volkswagen Commercial: "The Force"

The Volkswagen Passat is a large family car developed by Volkswagen. The conception of a large family car is frequently used in Europe to define an extra sized car with suitable space enough to carry the whole family. The commercial is an attempt to address families in order to purchase this new car. 

The ad employs several techniques in order to success in its message such as Humour, Celebrity Endorsement, Image and Promotion. Firstly, the advertisement employs humour to produce a sense of empathy and innocence in order to amuse the audience. The company that produced this commercial had the legal rights to use not only Darth Vader's costume but also the Star wars iconic music is played all along the commercial. The usage of the Image offers a sense of a moderate family house full of peace and quiet. At the end of the commercial, a promotion appears due to the releasing of the product, giving the possibility to purchase the auto mobile for less than its real price.  

The message of the ad is to encourage potential buyers to purchase this large family car and due to its releasing, the car is going to be on promotion for a short time, enabling people to acquire that product and producing saving. The Image bestows a sense of a comfortable home where an ideal family of an European country would find peace, this means that not only the product is being advertised through humour, but also this commercial indicate us the correct ideal for a family to be. 

The usage of Darth Vader's persona mixed with the innocence of a young boy are the devices that produce a tender reaction in the public This is followed by a series of funny scenes where the kid uses "The Force", a metaphysical energy power that enables the subjects to use telekinesis and mind-control among other things, with no positive effects. Humour and symbols such as innocence and the Star Wars's elements are enough to bring into existence an appealing commercial.

The events appear in logical sequences, and the music indicates those changes, therefore, at the end of the commercial there cannot be no doubt what product or service is being advertised.  If we analyse the first scene, we will see that the character is introduced but when the music changes from Gm to Em, the complication sequence begins and the kid tries to use "The Force" on his dog, a doll and several machines. Eventually, the scene with the kid and the car is combined with the suspense produced by the Imperial March song. Nevertheless, this is to be concluded with the kid's father starting the car with his remote control, leaving the kid puzzled believing that he had started the car. At the end of the commercial there cannot be a doubt that the product is a car.

The commercial success in portraying the product and through humour, the product becomes memorable. The ad is flawless, the combination of symbols such as humour, innocence and idealistic messages connected to an adequate family, creates the perfect commercial and portraying the Volkswagen' car as a symbol of a happy family. 

Web Sources:

Deutsch Inc (2012). The Force: volkswagen. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0. [Last Accessed Saturday, 29th September].

Picture Sources:

Automocionblog (2012). Vídeo: Las escenas no vistas del spot del VW Passat 2012 en el Super Bowl XLV [con vídeo]. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.automocionblog.com/video/23030/volkswagen-the-making-of-the-force-commercial-1. [Last Accessed Saturday, 29th September].

SuperheroSales (2012). Funny Superbowl Ads. [ONLINE] Available at: http://superherosales.hubpages.com/hub/Funny-Superbowl-Ads-Darth-Vader-Max-Page-in-the-Mini-Darth-Vader-Superbowl-Ad-VW-Car-Commercial. [Last Accessed Saturday, 29th September].