For this assignment, I chose the Ciroc Vodka commercial, which featured Sean "Diddy" Combs and a Frank Sinatra song prominently playing throughout the advertisement. The purpose of this video is, most obviously, to sell Ciroc Vodka. I would argue that the its secondary motive is to highlight Sean "Diddy" Combs as a brand.
The Ciroc advertisement displays the enviable and extravagant world of celebrity. It showcases Combs with a host of beautiful friends, dancing, drinking and enjoying an evening surrounded in luxury and the finer things of life. Though it is undeniable modern, with Sinatra playing in the background, it attempts to balance both modern and classic vibes. In many ways, this advertisement sells an unattainable reality, playing on human desire for wealth, comfort and inclusion.
After viewing this advertisement, I would presume that the target audience for this brand of Vodka is the 25-45 crowd, and especially focused on people who admire celebrities and attempt to emulate their lifestyle. The advertisement showcases an exceptional life, not everyday people, and aims at consumers who see themselves as more elegant, more posh, than the average consumer. The video is shot from the prospective of an off-screen party-goer, further pushing the belief that the consumer of Ciroc Vodka could easily mingle with this remarkable group of shiny, happy people.
Each of the characters in this video are shown enjoying themselves, seemingly without a care in the world. They appear happy, friendly and at ease in their situation. They were each hand-picked for their physical beauty and appeal. They all appear to be between the ages of 25-45, showcase a variety of ethnicities, and represent a mature and elegant crowd. The advertisement does not include very young people, older people, overweight people, plain people or "average" people.
The producer of this advertisement uses an age-old combination of money, beauty and sex-appeal to advertise a product that is scarcely related to any of those things. A quick Google-search for Ciroc Vodka shows that it is a fairly new brand (established in 2003) and is priced similarly to more well-known brands, such as Smirnoff. However, according to Wikipedia, Ciroc is half-owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs, and the producer relies heavily on the celebrity-mystique to promote this brand and attempt to set it apart from its counterparts. Though Ciroc is moderately priced, the brand is selling itself as a high-end, classy, elegant choice that reflects both classical wealth and modern style.
Reference
Ciroc. (n.d.) in Wikipedia. Retrieved 19 January 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%AEroc.
Gallagher, R. [Rich Gallagher]. 2008, October 7. Diddy/Sinatra Ciroc Commercial. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF3G7vdM2UI.
Hi Erika, I agree with you when you state that viewers want to emulate the portrayal of a fancy life style. I would also note that the advertisement include people of a diverse background promoting the consumption of alcohol to all ethnic groups. The selection of people could perhaps signify the popularity of ciroc. The commercial appeals to credibility with his use of including celebrity figures. As a consumer, the audience is inclined to trust these figures because of their reputation. I agree that this reality is unattainable because Ciroc Vodka does not allow for one to accumulate wealth. This actually reminded me of propaganda for the American Dream. It is as though a bottle of ciroc allows one to achieve happiness, wealth, beauty and fame: all aspects of the American Dream. Its very interesting how these images are intended to correlate with a product that has the potential to skew/blur ones vision
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ReplyDeleteHi Erika, I think you nailed it on the head. I also agree with Esther that incorporating diversity helps sell the product because it shows that many individuals are interested and included in the brand. Using Sean "Diddy" allows viewers or fans of him to relate to him and want to emulate him by using the product.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing to note is how the video is shot. It was shot in black and white. This adds not only to the nostalgic feeling, drawing in an audience of older individuals but also creating a sense of dignity or high class appeal. This may have been the directors intent as a subtle hint to tap into that connection.
Hey Erika, I also decided to analyze this commercial and I agree with you on many levels. One of the ideals that I pointed out was how they used this classic fancy scene to attract people to that type of life. Viewers want to attain that lifestyle and emulate what they see in the commercial. One thing that you noticed that I did not see at first was the type of people in it. You mentioned how there were not many "plain" people or people of varying physiques. Now I can see that this commercial also calls upon the media's image of beauty to attract even more viewers, who are also hoping of attaining the lifestyles being portrayed.
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