kat's blog

Red Bull Cat

noreply@blogger.com (Katrina) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Now this is an interesting ad. It shows a cartoon cat relaxing in a chair, making yummy noises, and flossing his teeth - obviously after eating a satisfying meal. The music playing in the background is pleasant, helping to enhance the feeling of contentment. A Red Bull can is set on the table. After he fixes his whiskers and looks in the mirror, the view pans up to an empty bird cage with the door ajar, and one, lone, yellow feather floats down as the happy cat pats his tummy. Then Red Bull's slogan, "it gives you wings" appears on the screen. So, thanks to Red Bull, this little kitty was able to fly up and catch himself a snack.

To the general population, this ad appears to be nothing more than using the well accepted notion that cats like to hunt birds as an advertising tool. However, this ad has greater significance to those who are well aquainted with classical music. The tune you hear in this commercial is taken from Mozart's opera, "The Magic Flute". In his aria "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja", Papageo sings about his job as a bird catcher and his longing for a wife (you know, normal everyday stuff). So the ad uses the text from the opera to relate to the kitty's bird catching, requiring a cultural understanding of opera that many people who see this commercial do not have.

And here is the aria from the opera, for those who care =)

big beer ad

noreply@blogger.com (Katrina) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:54:00 +0000

One of my personal favorites! This ad employs the music of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana". You probably will recognize it; it's been in many movies, usually at some particularly scary part. This ad is basically a bunch of guys running around on a field in choir robes singing about how big the beer ad is. Pretty self explanatory. The music is used to instill a sense of grandeur in the listener, and to further drive the point home that this is a really big ad. Enjoy =)

And here is the original, if you care.

Superbowl Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Katrina) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:55:00 +0000

These commercials are harder to find than I thought...here is the first one I came across. This ad is not trying to sell merchandise, but rather the love of football. It makes football seem appealing to people who otherwise wouldn't really be interested in it (people who play the oboeare not generally perceived as super-jocks). It's saying "Hey look, this guy plays football AND rocks the Bach! Does it get any better?" And the way Ephraim pulls Chester out of the grocery store and says"Hey, you should play football," lends a little touch of comedy to this ad, but also shows that these players are ordinary people like you and I.