I saw this commercial for the first time on YouTube after I had heard about it from my mom. It is one minute and three seconds long featuring the new VW Beetle. This Volkswagen Beetle commercial features a man in a ski mask picking out items in a convenience store/mini mart. While he is walking around, the customers inside are silently freaking out. When he gets up to the counter to pay, the clerk tells him he doesn't want any trouble. The man in the ski mask replies "I don't want trouble either." He then pays and walks out to his friends who are waiting in a convertible VW Beetle. There is snow all around and they are all wearing ski masks. When he gets in, the man in the driver seat points out that he forgot to take his mask off. They then hurriedly drive away to end the commercial. The only clue the viewer gets as to the brand for this commercial is right at the end. VW is end the commercial by saying, "now everyday is a top down day."
The actors and actresses in this commercial are not celebrities because VW's focus of this commercial is not the actors/actresses necessarily but the fact that the new VW Beetle is a convertible and the weather is not convertible weather. The main actor, the guy in the black ski mask in the convenience store, does an excellent job in selling that he has completely forgot that he is wearing his ski mask still. While the customers are staring or hiding, he is nonchalantly walking around going about his business like normal. The music played during this commercial probably could not have been better. It leads up right to when he checks out and gives the mysterious feeling that we think hes going to rob the place, and then he doesn't. While he is in the convenience store, the persuasive technique could easily be hidden fear. No one wants to be in a store while it's being robbed or presumably robbed. But when that doesn't happen, it moves toward the direction of a myth. You assume that the story is some friends are out enjoying the new car with the top down. Since it's obviously winter, they decide to wear ski masks since the top is down. They get hungry, one guy volunteers to go in and pay and forgets to take his mask off.
I have not seen other commercials quite like this one but there is a very good possibility that it has been modeled after one similar. I would definitely say that the target audience is the general one of whoever is in the market for a new car, but also those who love the outdoors, especially during winter with snow. Now there is a car that you can have the top down in the winter and enjoy the beauty. Personally I would not find this offensive and I didn't notice any stereotypes.
This commercial I think could be a part of a new VW advertising that they have decided to go towards. Like the one with the Jamaican voice, this one is very memorable and keeps the audience engaged for the whole commercial because we are on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens.
The more I watched this ad, the simpler it seems to be, VW showed that you don't have to spend billions of dollars on special effects and celebrities to post a good commercial and have it become very popular. When i searched for this ad originally I came upon MSN's reply to this new commercial and I found what they had to say intriguing. What MSN has to say.
I watched The Following episode 2 "Chapter Two", which aired on FOX Monday, January 28th at 9:00 pm. The Following is a drama and suspenseful TV show that stars Kevin Bacon who is a former FBI agent that has been asked to come back for a very large case involving a murderer that he put away for life who has amassed a "cult following" to do his dirty work for him now. In this particular episode, Dr. Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), who Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) has put in jail previously, has had his "followers" kidnap his his son from his ex-wife and Hardy and the FBI agents and police officers he is consulting with are looking for him. Hardy discovers the house where the "followers" meet and they reconfirm that all of Carrolls symbolism and antics are based off Edgar Allen Poe's writings. In that house, Hardy was attacked by a man wearing a Poe mask and later at the end of the episode we see a masked Poe man light a man on the street on fire and run away.
The ads that aired during this episode are pretty much the stereotypical ads that you would expect. There were ads for cars and car dealerships; including Honda, Kia, Chevrolet, Ford, Subaru, and Buick. There were also ads for different foods like Lean Cuisine, Campbell's, and Weight Watchers meal plans. In the category of online dating, notable services were Christian Mingle, Match.com, and eHarmony. Major commercials that were most prominent and were aired multiple times included Ford, Honda, Chevrolet, Comcast, Direct TV, Kiefer Kia, John and Phil's, Guaranty in Junction City, beer brands like Coors, Heineken, and Budweiser, and of course there is always the Fox News ads that feature their anchors for around 15 seconds each time a commercial ends to continue with the program. These commercials all fit the demographic that the TV show is trying to reach. Younger adults through mid-life adults. These are all people who have cars or will by buying new cars in the future, they may be insecure about their weights or just want some food that is not only tasty but healthy or a viewer who is single and wants to find somebody. The commercials are definitely spot on for their target audiences as far as I am concerned. The Following is meant for more mature audiences and was rated TV 14 for language, images, sexual situations and the like. The actors and actresses were dressed appropriate for our time period and the authority figures has appropriate looking uniforms. Most of the men who were FBI agents wore suits and the women wore suits as well. Compared to other shows like this one, I would say that dress and mannerisms are identical and what you expect and would want to see for a drama/suspenseful TV show. The main thing, for me, that makes this show different than others is the fact that the whole show is based around an ex FBI agent and the man he put away years before and the this guys "followers" and how they are operating. I have never seen a show like this one in terms of that.
A major stereotype that occurred in this particular episode was about police officers. There were several cuts to them just standing around and drinking coffee around the house they were supposed to be guarding. Same thing happened when they were shown at the scene of the murders in the sorority house after they had come in and done the initial reports on the situations. The other stereotype that I noticed, and probably the most prominent, is that the wife of Carroll, who is an attractive woman, had an affair with Hardy who was the main FBI agent that was there when her husbands case was first taking place. This refers to her being maybe a weak and needy woman who has lost who she thought was her best friend and trusted lover and in walked tough, strong, independent agent Hardy who was not married. These kinds of relationships always happen in TV shows and movies and aren't always the reality of true real life. Other than these two outstanding stereotypes, I think the directors and producers have done a pretty good job at trying to be new and different in the ways of how the TV show operates within the story lines and isn't too predictable. If I were a viewer from another country, I would not think much of the shows Americans watch because I am sure there are many good dramas that air in other country's. In fact, The Following actually airs in the U.S. plus another 17 countries. If I were not from here, based on the commercials, I would say that there is a problem with people being overweight and single and everybody is buying new cars.
I do not watch many crime/drama/suspense TV shows but I would say that this one, as of now (it's only aired two episodes total so far) is a TV show that I am expecting to be kept on FOX and be aired for at least several seasons or until the story is wrapped up and concluded. What really keeps me interested in this show is that it's not as predictable as other similar shows. Usually I am able to predict what can happen in a TV show after 15 minutes or so. I am not so accurate with this one.
I would tend to agree with the 7.5 stars that IMDB gave them. If I never watched it I wouldn't feel like a part of my life was missing but if I just stopped watching I would be very curious as to what happened in each episode. My girlfriend watches the this show with me and what she likes most about The Following is all the plot twists. I definitely agree. It's a very engaging TV show. One thing that all TV shows like this one do is end with a cliff hanger. That cliff hanger keeps you wondering all week what is going to happen in the next show and that brings back viewers from previous weeks.
I have seen every single episode The Following! Wait, that's only two episodes. But still, it is one that I am going to have to add to my list of shows that I try to keep up on. I am not a user of social media so I don't follow the show on Twitter or on Facebook but I have visited the shows page on FOX and the opening sentence on their page paragraph about the show is very interesting. "The FBI estimates there are currently up to 300 active serial killers in the United States." This is a very bold statement and scary statistic. One thing that the average viewer may not know is that Hardy wrote a book sharing the details of his previous investigation and other factoids about his case regarding Carroll. If a book like this came out or is already out here in real life, that would be a very interesting and possibly quite controversial book.
Overall, I would recommend The Following to most normal people who enjoy good TV shows that keep the viewers eyes glued to their TV. Upon further examination, one could come to the conclusion that TV programs, the ads run, and the particular channel or station that is airing all have very close relation and share the same views and interests.
