Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen
First Aired: 2013
Agency: Grey New York
Production Company: MJZ
Campaign: DirecTV Most Powerful Fan
Ah, football. A man's game. A male-dominated field (which I plan to rule). Nothing affects a man's pride and ego quite like football.
Take a look at this ad for DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket. At first glance, we see a very tall and strong man in an Andy Dalton jersey (bless his heart) talking to a man of average height and build, but who looks minuscule in comparison. The office in which they are is very bland, with pale blue-gray walls and beige work spaces. The small man himself is wearing neutrals, nothing about him is particularly special or noticeable. What we notice is the powerful fan. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the bold black and orange of his jersey, and his pants, which are the everyday-man's pair of khakis, are still brighter and crisper than his surroundings. The director's use of color, layout, and dialogue draw our attention to and make us viewers desire to be like this all-powerful fan.
This advertisement, along with the entire DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket campaign, plays on a man's pride. If you get Sunday Ticket, then you will be all-powerful, desirable, and possess qualities greater than those of your male counterparts. If you don't get Sunday Ticket, then you will be an average, boring man, rejected by your coworkers and left in a man on a lightning bolt's dust. The powerful fan is also displayed as exceedingly confident and, while his coworker quickly becomes intimidated and confused and his voice seems to trail off due to this man's apparent dominance. The message is essentially that the only way to restore your pride is to get DirecTV.
The use of the lightning bolt in this advertisement is particularly note-worthy. The lightning bolt is a symbol of the Greek god Zeus- the god of all gods. He is the one who possesses ultimate control and power. The possession of the lightning bolt further distinguishes this man's superiority over other men, essentially he is god-like; he is truly the most powerful fan, the fan of all fans. His coworker's pride is diminished when he promptly rejects his offer to watch the game and asserts his dominance. No one wants their weakness to be publicly displayed.
Our giant friend also has the pleasure of riding off with a beautiful, scantily-clad woman on a lightning bolt, while the other man is left to look on in jealousy and confusion. If you get Sunday Ticket, you too will be accompanied by a beautiful woman. This woman doesn't talk, however; she is just seen as an object, a prize for the powerful fan. This commercial further promotes the idea of male dominance. It fits into the macho man persona of the NFL. The woman is used to play on men's desire (lust) and pride, as though purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket will also fulfill everything you need as a man.
At the end, a voice over of Cris Collinsworth, one of the broadcasters on NBC Sunday Night Football and former NFL player, is played saying, "Become the world's most powerful fan. Get NFL Sunday Ticket at no extra charge." The idea of power is used as a way to enhance a man's pride. The key to becoming all-powerful is just getting NFL Sunday Ticket. It's quite simple really.
The intended audience is middle-class men in their thirties and forties, the average working-man. These men have to be making a decent amount of money, though because, as I know from personal experience, NFL Sunday Ticket is not included after the first year. These commercials are played on Sundays during football games, so it is specifically intended to target football fans. The ad is targeting them by using pride to sell an ideal lifestyle. It portrays a "manly man", something highly valued in our society. Football is a huge part of American culture, especially for this audience, and any way to improve their fandom is likely to be highly revered. The director uses this idea of "preserving your manhood" and becoming the "world's most powerful fan" in order to encourage people to purchase DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket.
Disclaimer: Though I have NFL Sunday Ticket and it is one of the greatest inventions of all time, I have yet to receive my lightning bolt.
I recently saw a similar commercial by Direct TV in which it featured a female fan who had moved from Miami to somewhere cold . She was carrying a palm tree, crossing a street in front of a snow plow to her house, where she eventually throws it into the ground to plant it. This ad like yours uses language to manipulate viewers into thinking they have power if they get the NFL Sunday ticket. There is also another ad by Direct TV for the Sunday ticket that features a gay couple, but once again they are shown with super natural powers, as they break through glass to enter their home and then break a table and things on the table. My point was Direct TV is using language to get people to think that it's easy, gives you more power, and makes sense to buy the NFL Sunday Ticket
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! Immediately after I saw the tile I thought of you on Sundays watching the Pats. When I first watched the commercial I was focused more on what was being said than the dress of the characters (Well, until the girl entered the scene). I really like how you analyzed the colors used in the dress. As I replayed the commercial I picked up the contrast between the guy with DirecTV and the co-worker who had cable. What an amazing way to bring attention to a product. I realized that the colors, and use of a jersey, led me to almost rooting for the guy with DirecTV. Very good advertising! Nice job connecting to the deadly sings lust and pride, both were very evident in this ad.
ReplyDeleteI loved this! Honestly, I can imagine you now as NFL Commissioner, ruling over the "man's world"! I really liked your connection to the lighting bolt being connected to Zeus, which is a cultural reference that some people may not have understood to represent as being a ruler and having power. Continuing on the Greek Gods theme, at the end of the ad I also noticed that there were wings that are usually associated with Hermes- the messenger of the Gods. This could be a symbol of how quickly you can get all the information quickly (games) with the NFL Sunday Ticket, just as Hermes quickly delivers messages to all the Gods.
ReplyDeleteKiley why am i not surprised your blog was NFL related? I did enjoy viewing your ad and reading your thoughts on it. I thought this ad was comical but at the same time informative. The use of making the bigger and more powerful man made the audience feel that he is more important and therefore should listen to what he has to say about getting DirecTV. I liked how you pointed out the fact that the beautiful women does not talk and only serves the purpose to reinforce the idea that the bigger man is more important and a superior human being. The ad infers that if the less important man gets DirecTv then he too can ride off with a beautiful women on a lighting bolt. Overall, i thought your analysis of the ad was very thorough and well explained.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who also has NFL Sunday Ticket, I can relate to this ad because I know the awesome feeling of being able to watch any NFL football game I want. Unfortunately NFL Sunday Ticket helped me watch the Colts lose this weekend, but I'll get over it. This ad is pretty funny and the contrast in size between the two guys really helps to reinforce the idea of pride that DirecTV is pushing. I like how you pointed out the use of Chris Collinsworth's voice because he is a very famous NFL football announcer and most football fans would recognize his voice. How do you think the ad would have changed if the guy in the Andy Dalton jersey was Tom Brady (or any other famous football player)? I also have not received my lightning bolt, which is fairly dissapointing.
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