Superwoman
is huge. Lilly Singh, known to her fans as IISuperwomanII, came out with a new
video today (which I am proud to say I caught just after it came out). Here I
was, moseying through Youtube, looking for music. But since Youtube can connect
itself to my brain, the first thing that showed up on my Recommended was
"Types of Commercials". Immediately, I thought, This is going to be fun. I was not disappointed.
Lilly, in
all her usual charisma, presents several different types of common commercials.
While Lilly may not have experienced high-level critical thinking training, she
noted many of the things I myself have learned. It was fun to see how many concepts
she referred to that I recognized. Without any more formalities, let's dive
right into some connections!
When Lilly
talks about the Medical commercials, she mentions that they start out really
dark and overly sad, and then turn into something great and amazing after the
introduction of the product. The makers of the commercial clearly divert the
subject and attempt to associate their product with something good and
appealing. "Knee pain" isn't fun, and can denote a serious health
problem. Y'all think some Aleve (yet another commercial I saw today) is gonna
substitute for knee surgery? I mean, it may make you feel safe, but it won't
solve all your problems.
The
following commercial type that Lilly reviewed was Perfumes. The way she
described them, they definitely sounded like something a Modern Art or Film
student would attempt to create. The most important thing she talked about was
that they were confusing and there was a lot going on in them. That obvious
confusing factor is meant to make us remember these commercials so we remember
the product.
Infomercials
came afterwards, and I was very amused by Lilly's emphatic descriptions of her
reactions to these. She says at one time, "These people in these
commercials be convincing me that they have solutions to problems I don't even
have," (04:19). I found that extremely interesting. Sometimes these
specific products don't claim to fulfill a need that we have, they just create
one that isn't applicable to us and make it our issue. Sometimes they bribe us,
sometimes they attempt to make it high-concept and sell us "a
lifestyle". We transfer the attributes of the person or setting in the
infomercial and attach it to the products. They have friends? I want friends.
This product will get me friends.
The
Celebrity commercials section is so relevant to everyday life as a consumer.
The companies try to find whoever's new and hip and cool with the kids, and
then they put 'em smack dab in the center of an ad or commercial. Tampax, I
know you want the love and adoration of adolescents. But will Demi Lovato really
sell more tampons? That's a mystery in and of itself. I guess people just have
soft spots for celebrities. I mean, if Lilly endorsed something, I'd seriously
consider buying it. Even pet food, and I don't own a pet. At least, I don't own
a pet until Lilly or Game Grumps start making commercials for them.
The fifth
type of commercial is really phenomenal. I mean, it's a commercial made by Lilly herself. I was totally
emotionally unprepared for that the first time I watched this video, it took me
by complete surprise. I was actually thinking about buying the lipstick myself,
and I don't really do makeup. The rest of the video sort of segway-ed into an
ad. I mean, I was really hoping she'd end it with some sort of deep media
message connection, but lipstick is cool too.
When it all
comes down to it, this was a very thought-provoking video. Lilly's own
commercial really targeted a desire for power and control, and a desire to be
different. She's pretty dang famous, so that message will be spread among a lot
of people. After all, that's what media does.
I think
that Youtube has become a huge media center because of people like Lilly. She
forms a solid connection with her fans and spreads ideas among us. Several of
my schoolmates love her content as well, and that's why it becomes so well
known so fast. Now, just by watching a Buzzfeed video about different foods or laughing
at the Game Grumps playing a tabletop game, I can experience a similar message
to millions of other people. That's some news.
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