music get gradually louder, parallel to each other and a contest between the surfers
begins.
As the wave increases in speed, horses form within it and Surfers start to fall, one by
one. They all disappear, leaving only one; the winner. Suddenly the music stops
completely. A voice over says; “Tick followed tock……..he waits that’s what he
does…….. and that’s how he won”. This refers to the one surfer left. The
advertisement then shows the winner embracing his fellow surfers and finally cuts to
a pint of Guinness with the words “Good things come to those who wait”, across
the screen. This effectively acts as a slogan by harnessing a common proverbial
saying.
This whole advert, when looked at closely, could be considered a metaphor for
pulling and consuming a pint of Guinness. The pouring is represented by the wave
starting, the settling by the falling of each surfer and the drinking by the friend’s
embrace at the end.
There are several features of this advertisement that are operating at a subliminal
level, such as the fact that the entire advertisement is in black and white. These
colours are associated with the struggle between good and evil, and this plants ideas
in the mind of the recipient concerning the dark drink itself. Mystery and intrigue
become apparent and the use of manipulative photographic techniques, like the
horses within the wave, suggest to the audience, ‘there is something deeper to
Guinness’. The horses themselves are white, conjuring up positive images of white
knights on white chargers.
The musical accompaniment is in itself dark. It aids in the power of the central
metaphor whereby the drink itself remains pure, however maintains its mysterious
edge. It also contributes on a more simple level, increasing the emotional connections
to the audience, as it is in a minor key which is well known to be good at raising the
hairs on the back of your neck.
The advert makers have used computer graphics to create the horses in the wave.
However, they have kept a subtlety about the horses thus continuing the mystical aura
The people in this advert are all male. They are all continental in appearance and
are loosely clad, wearing only bathing shorts and showing off their manly upper
bodies. They are similar in appearance and build which adds a united feel to their
group, almost as if they conform to a uniformed way of life. They appear brotherly in
their actions, suggesting an emotional bonding between the group . They are a team,
surfing, enjoying life. Do these men know, and have, something the average person
does not? This is again backed up by a look given by the winner; a stare deep into the
camera lens.
The voice over is powerful, but this does not derive from the words used, but
from the way in which these words are spoken, the intonation. They ask a question of
the audience; challenging their comprehension, creating an intrigue, and making a
simple point, so enticing the watcher to delve deeper. The words and their tone imply
a higher knowledge asking the recipient to ‘figure it out for themselves’. There is a
quasi religious dimension here. A certain level of intelligence is requested, but it still
leaves scope for imagination and in allowing for one’s own interpretation, it appeals
to a range of individuals.
The second advertisement, for “Boddingtons” is a lot less complex
than the Guinness advertisement, but is (and this could be considered worthy
compensation for depth) part of a series of ‘theatrical’ commercials with the lead
character Graham Heffer; a cartoon cow. Immediately, the level at which this
advertisement is aimed falls, simply because of the cartoon element. It begins with
Graham underwater. This is shown only by a black background and bubbles
emanating from Graham’s mouth, holding a pint of “Boddingtons”. A shark
approaches and begins encircling Graham. The shark then lunges for the pint and
appears to swallow it whole, along with Graham’s arm! It then swims off into the
blackness and disappears. Graham then reveals he is still in ownership of his pint and
that it was concealed behind his back. The advertisers are using absurdist humour
here to exaggerate his commitment to his pint over and above his own well being.
In earlier advertisements the personality and attitudes of Graham Heffer have
been outlined. He represents the ‘laddish’ pub frequenter who ironically has done well
for himself; an intelligent ‘other level of beer swiller’- ‘a lord of the
bar’. It sends messages to a gullible type of essentially male persons stating, ‘If you
drink this beer you will become more successful’.
This style of advertising lends itself to the development of a
‘following’ in the same way as soap operas use addiction. This in turn, opens up
appeal to more intellectual people who warm to the character in a fun sense.
There is no sound track to this particular ‘episode’ as it has already been
imprinted in earlier advertisements, but there is a voice over and this is the source of
the sarcasm. It says “pint survival during shark attack. Hold Boddingtons away from
snapping jaws” There is also an element of satire in that the text of the voice over
resembles that of a safety pamphlet. E.g. “Hold Boddingtons away from snapping
jaws!” The characters and their situations are also absurd; why would a cow be
underwater? All this suggestive subtext lends itself to the ‘joker’ appeal, thus calling
out to the intended audience.
There is, of course, a small element of traditional advertising included within the
piece, designed to inform and publicise the product. The name and easily recognisable
logo appear on the screen at the advertisement’s conclusion leaving an impression
on the viewer’s mind. This is, by definition, the essence of advertising, making
something public and well recognised in order to promote its appeal. Nowadays,
advertising is taken one step further in attempts to sell, by manipulating opinions, as
opposed to letting a product sell itself.
