After watching the Pantene commercial, many students were irritated, or even enraged. One of the main reasons for these reactions is the bait and switch the creators use. They lead the viewer to develop a connection with the main character and then, at the last minute, redirect that connection with the character to a connection with the product. The connection built with this young and deaf female character is due mainly to the sympathy the viewer feels for her. She appears to be constantly bullied for attempting to pursue a seemingly impossible dream. The scenes with shots of her crying or of her standing helplessly by her severely injured mentor's bedside can't help but stir up feelings of compassion for the girl.
Just when the viewer finds his or her self grinning with happiness as this character he or she has grown to adore achieves their impossible goal, the attention of the commercial shifts as the words “You can shine” appear on the screen. After this emotional rollercoaster of a commercial, the only message the creator wants the consumer to get is to buy their product. They bait you with this pitiable deaf girl and make you think they are just urging you to achieve your goals. Then, they basically say, “nahhh… just kidding. You probably can’t achieve your dreams like this girl, but you can have nice hair like her.”
This is the switch that tends to make the viewer so angry. He or she developed not only compassion for the girl, but confidence in his or her self. And just as quickly as that feeling came, it was ripped from the viewer with those simple words, “You can shine.”
The sequencing of your argument here is well done. It is systematic and progressive. I wonder though if you might clarify (or rather load) some of your nominatives. The way we name terms can support our claims about a particular entity. For example, you name the main character "the young and deaf female character," which is a rather clinical kind of naming. This is an effective strategy in certain kinds of writing surely. Here, however, you might want to trace the way the commercial's makers enlist the viewer's sympathy -- try employing language that mimics the effect of the commercial.
ReplyDeleteGive things the dignity of their names.
I agree and also, i feel that if the story aka the bait they used wasn't as "deep" or emotional than there would be less anger and there would be a lot more acceptance of the product. The fact that the bait and switch they used would cause one to be enraged would in fact take away from the appeal of their product.
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