Media Trick or Treat?

In honor of Halloween's fast approach here is a hershey's chocolate advertisement which I found on Youtube:

Thesis: Hershey’s chocolate is special, brings people together and will make your life better.

Facts/Claims:

1. Hershey’s chocolate makes a s'more special

2. Hershey’s chocolate brings people together

3. Hershey’s chocolate helps to make your life special

4. If you eat Hershey's chocolate, you will have fun

5. Hershey's chocolate is pure chocolate

Personal Claim: If you eat a s'more with Hershey's Chocolate it will cause you to put on a wide-brimmed hat and become a gangster.

Triune Brain Observations:

Limbic Brain: The happy, upbeat music playing in the background stimulates the emotional part of the brain by making the viewer also feel comfortable. The lyrics of the song also encourage excitement and joy.

Limbic Brain: The comforting voice of the female narrator engages the emotional part of the brain.

Limbic Brain: Visual images of the ocean waves and of people having a fun time make the viewer recall times when he/she was having fun at the beach or wish that they were also the beach with a s'more.

Trends/Shifts

1. Pacing: the commercial is very fast paced and switches from scene to scene very rapidly.

2. Production Technique: extremely warm, natural, sunny lighting.

3. Emotional Transfer: Obviously, If an individual is at the beach enjoying Hershey's chocolate, he or she will feel emotional bliss and happiness.

General Principles

1. Epistemological Shift from Word to Image: The advertisement uses no words (until the very end) and all images to convey a message. Also Hershey's uses a video full of images rather than a print advertisement filled with text.

2. Personal Shift from Mass to Personal/Participatory: This advertisement is on Youtube and therefore can be paused, replayed and taken from the original site to be posted on personal blogs and other sites.

3. Aesthetic Shift from Discrete to Convergence: This advertisement is accessible via youtube, which means it can be seen and shared on a smart phone rather than only television or a computer.

Persuasive Techniques

1. Flattery: “Hershey’s makes it a smore, you make it special”

2. Symbol: The s’more (made with Hershey’s) as a symbol of summer, campfires on the beach and having a good time.

3. Plain Folks: The commercial shows mom’s, dad’s children and young adults all having a great time eating Hershey’s chocolate. Everyone can enjoy Hershey’s products.

S'more Graphic found on Google

Photo of girls eating s'mores provided by Anna Bassford