The advert that I am focusing on is ‘cat cam’ where we are seeing the world through Tom’s eyes. The camera uses a convex lens and the ad is 35 seconds long. We are kept in suspense as to who the main character is, and the viewer would automatically assume that the character is a human. We see a dank flat and close in on a television screen, showing a bird in the birdbath. Then we hear the doorbell and look out of a window to see a group of guys shouting ‘come on tom’ and then we see steps, and the camera seems to be hand held, giving the impression like we are running down stairs, on the move and we then get in the car, and close in on some guys laughing and joking with us, obviously being our friends. The scenery in the car implies that we are in a taxi and as you draw up to the club, we enter walking on a carpet and the lights, acting as camera’s, makes us feel like a celebrity, which implies that when people buy this drink they are treated like a celebrity. When we enter the club a lot of cuts are used, we are dancing with women, zooming in on the Bacardi Breezer, getting close and personal with even more women and this is where the viewer wonders whether the moves in the ad, through the camera, are a bit x-rated. We then walk towards a tank of fish, and we then see tom’s face through the reflection of the glass. McCann has surprised the viewer, showing the camera angles were through the eyes of a cat. The scene then flashes to the Bacardi symbol and a smaller picture of tom, and we hear a voice over stating ‘now available in cranberry’ advertising a new flavour.
The cat-cam ad is told using frequent cuts, giving the advert a busy feel to it, making the advert more exciting. This advert indicates that tom leads a double life, it focuses mainly on the nightlife of tom the cat, but at the start we are shown a very peaceful flat and the sound of a bird that is quite peaceful. The male voice, advertising a new flavour of drink, cranberry, is quite rough, maybe from a man who is used to the nightlife.
The colour at the beginning of the advert is kept very mellow, to symbolize the peace and tranquillity of tom’s day life. Then we are faced with a burst of exotic colours, when we enter tom’s party mode.
Because the advert is so active, tom meets a lot of different characters, both men and women, is shots are very close and personal because McCann Erickson wants the viewer to feel like they are there, in this position. In addition, the way they have used lighting in the ad, the contrast from dull to bright, which implies that the buzz from the Bacardi Breezer is bright, exotic and exciting. The camera angle makes the viewer feel that they are in adoration, by the way that characters look down on the viewer with a smile. This also tells me that McCann Erickson wants the viewer to feel adored, when they drink bacardi breezer.
The advert uses different settings because we are looking through the eyes of tom and again we are faced with a contrast of dull realistic life, (the flat scenes) and an exotic party life. Throughout the advert there is a strong pulse in the music, relating to the club life and contributing to the busy effect McCann has tried to portray.
In the ad, the actual product is flashed in three times, to give it more of an effect, making the product stick in the viewers mind. The camera focuses on the shape of the bottle, making it seem in a way elegant and beautiful. Although the focus on the Bacardi Breezer is short, it is very effective.
There aren’t many sources of text in the ad, only that of the product’s name, Bacardi Breezer, which fixates the viewer’s attention on the drink.
I don’t think that this advert was meant to be humorous, however it’s very funny and clever how the camera can get away with dancing up women’s skirts on TV, just because the camera is meant to be a feline.
This advert is meant to appeal to men mostly between 18-late 20’s; I think that the advert has succeeded to appeal to its target audience. The ad is the second in a series of adverts starring tom the cat. McCann Erickson has tried to show a casual message in each of the adverts in the series. McCann Erickson has also created Tom as a star, featured in the website, with his personal details and biography! He almost has his own little television soap operas. Overall, I think that this advert is very effective and gets the message across well, therefore making it a success for the Bacardi Breezer Company.
