Coca-Cola Pool Boy
Author: Agency: Santo
Date: March 3rd, 2017
Place of publication: Santo-Buenos Aires in Argentina
Commercials on television are constantly influencing our lives. This particular one is an advertisement for the world-famous Coca-Cola company. Its purpose is to promote the brand and convince viewers to buy their product. They do this by presenting an entertaining story that features a Coke product and also makes people feel good.
The video initially features a bare-chested muscular guy cleaning the swimming pool of a Hispanic brother and sister as they admire him from their windows. They both decide to offer the worker a Coke as a way to make contact with him. It then becomes a fierce sibling rivalry to see who can reach him first. They race downstairs and attempt to slow down each other, only to discover that their mother is already there. At the end of the commercial, the mother has given a coke to the pool boy and he drinks it while showing his abs more clearly. The mother smiles at her kids because she made the first interaction and the boy and girl stand defeated nearby. Although either of them won the competition, they still have a coke to enjoy as a consolation prize. This story highlights the company’s point of view regarding diversity and inclusion by featuring Hispanic actors, gay individuals, and the Spanish language. It is representative of Coca-Cola’s overall stance on the LGBTQ community and other minority groups.
Further analysis of this advertisement reveals a deeper meaning of attraction and motives. This is shown through the different scenes of the commercial that show the progression of both siblings’ desire for the pool boy. They start by staring at him and then simultaneously decide to give him a Coke because he looks so thirsty and “hot”. They grab a coke from the fridge and race each other outside. Slow-motion is a crucial feature of the video because it allows the viewers to see the reaction of the characters as they sprint, jump, and fall. The intended audience is anyone from the Spanish community who enjoys humor and a cold soft drink. The viewer is persuaded to include coke in their lives by suggesting that if they had one, they would have a better chance to connect with an attractive person. Lust is seen when the siblings fantasize about the pool boy and then act more aggressive as they try to get him. Even though lust is a major factor in this story and Pope Gregory ranks it as the least offensive of the Seven Deadly Sins, later theologians consider them all to be equally bad.
I like how you chose a video for your advertisement. Every blog that I've previously looked at, have all been PSA's or screenshots of an ad (I did this). Your description of the ad you chose is spot-on and very detailed. I like that you chose to bring up the subject of minorities and how they are highlighted in the one minute commercial. Your deeper analysis is also very good and detailed. However, I think that the audience for this commercial isn't just for hispanic and latino community. I think that since Coca-Cola is such a big corporation, that this commercial is geared towards everyone. I like how you connected your ad to the deadly sin of "lust" and explained it well!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I really like your selection of advertisement! Videos have a lot more scope for portrayal of emotions and incorporating other stylistic devices like music. Your analysis about the slow motion part of the commercial was also really good. I agree that it was key to the success of this ad as it made it a lot more humorous and showed their feelings more intensely. I like how you added that this ad is a representation of Coca-Cola's stance as they clearly showcase diversity along with support for the LGBTQ community. One final thought I have is that even though lust is shown in the commercial, I think that it is on a more lighter note or at least it appears so through the choice of the music.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the commercial; I thought it was interesting, well-stylelized, and positive advertisement. I like how you included that the audience was Hispanic people, something that I didn't initially notice but is absolutely true. I also liked how you elaborated on the deadly sin of lust, and how Pope Gregory named it as the least offensive sin but later it became just as bad as the others. I think you also could have related the commercial to American culture in the way that we tend to be a little racier and "sell sex".
ReplyDeleteI really liked your choice of advertisement, especially in terms of representation. It was interesting to see a sort of role reversal for the whole idea of "selling sex" too. Most of the time it's a guy going after a scantily clad woman, but this time it's people going after a guy for a change. I liked your analysis of the slow motion in terms of the progression of desire and reactions as well, and I think you tied it all together and back to the assignment well. I like that you pointed out the implication that having a Coke will give you better chances with an attractive person as well. It's an odd concept because if that is the case they probably care more about the caffeine than the person supplying it anyway. I know I would (sorry not sorry).
ReplyDeleteLove that you selected a commercial. Nice analysis as well; my only suggestion would be to challenge yourself to use specific terms/techniques to strenghten your critique.
ReplyDelete