This Popped Chips ad was published by Lucky Generals in London in January 2016. Any and all rights go to them.
The most obvious aspect of this ad is the color scheme. The colors are all "warm" colors and range from a deep red to a bright yellow. These colors not only coincide with the bag of chips, but they also coincide with the thought of being dynamic. Considering this ad was published in January, a time where everything is gray, white, or blue, having a warm colored ad is striking, and it calls attention to itself (kind of like the "Arrest me red" car that everyone wants).
The next aspect of this ad is the bag of chips itself. It is on the right side of the ad, after the sentence that is on the ad. It is also located at the part of the ad where the color scheme is lighter. The bag itself has the words "popped, not fried" on it, automatically making it sound more alluring (because no one likes to admit they eat fried food).
Moving on to the words that are on the ad, the sentence says in big, bold letters, "You walk everywhere!". This part of the sentence is very empowering because it is giving a false sense of a healthy lifestyle to whoever is reading it. The next part of the sentence says, in smaller letters, "Unless it is overcast or raining". This part of the sentence adds some reality to the situation and brings people back down to earth, because apparently, no one in London owns an umbrella. Finally, the trademark saying for Popped Chips is on the bottom right side of the ad, and it is placed there to make sure that the reader doesn't forget the saying. It is the last thing that the reader is going to look at, and for marketing, it's important that the readers associate the trademark saying with the brand. Most TV commercials do the exact same thing.
This ad represent three out of the seven deadly sins. These three are: Gluttony, Sloth, and Pride. Going into the big picture of this ad, it is pretty easy to recognize how this is Gluttony. The easiest part to distinguish how this ad is Gluttony is what is written on the bag. The bag says that the chips are popped, not fried, which automatically makes them healthier than any other brand of chips that aren't fried. In reality, chips are still chips, and they are unhealthy no matter what, but the saying helps to take any guilt out of eating these chips.
The next sin that the big picture addresses is Sloth. This one is harder to spot, but based on specific locations, it applies. The sentence "Unless it's overcast or raining" already brings reality to the situation. However, this ad was made in London, where it rains all the time, and is overcast nearly as much. The same goes for almost anywhere in the Northeast or Seattle, it rains all the time in those locations. Saying that it and having it in a city that rains all the time, would mean that the person is never walking anywhere, which then means that they are being lazy by sitting at home eating chips.
The final sin that this ad represents is Pride. Assuming that this person lives somewhere sunny all the time, (according to the ads logic) they will walk everywhere. This is actually a big deal because walking is really good for the human body, and it is also better for the environment because the person is not driving a car. This could cause people to boast about how cool they are for being environmentally conscious and overall healthier than the majority of the population.
This ad is addressed to audiences who are looking for a healthier alternative to something that they love. It is also playing a part in their New Year's Resolutions, considering it was written in January of 2016. This ad could affect anyone, and is targeted to everyone who likes chips but is also looking to be healthy. This ad affects any socioeconomic background, and culturally, the person will be associated with the healthy aspects of culture.
Overall, this ad hits the sins Gluttony, Sloth, and Pride. It affects anyone wanting to be somewhat healthy, and its aspects help to make it seem interesting. The post itself has nothing against Popped Chips, but the ad was fun to make fun of and analyze.
I really liked how deeply you dug into this ad! Rather than just stopping at Gluttony, you utilized the time (January 2016) and the location (London) of the advertisement's creation in order to connect back to the sins of Sloth and Pride. Your thoughtful consideration of the ad's context gave your post depth and really strengthened your overall analysis. Your summary of the intended audience and their assumed healthy habits was also well done, and I like how you tied everything together at the end. Great job! :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the deep analysis into an ad that's seemingly simple at first glance. You were able to connect not only one but three deadly sins to it, and provided a good explanation for each. The most interesting part was when you discussed how prideful people can become for leading a healthy lifestyle, even if they're only doing simple tasks such as walking. I also liked how you pointed out that no matter if chips are "popped" or fried, they're still chips, kind of disproving the message on the bag.
ReplyDeleteNice, methodical structure to your post- I appreciate that you looked at both the what and then the connections to the deadly sins. I caution you in the assumptions made- can you use a phrase like "could be interpreted"?
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