Module 5

Here is an add that aired during Saturday Night Live and the Super Bowl that I really liked.


This appeals to my Reptilian brain with the action (blowing up, and quick flashing images), my Limbic brain with the catchy song that I know well from the SNL skits, and it appeals a lot to my NeoCortex brain because it is a satire of itself, mixed with the normal SNL humor that I am very familiar with (I also thought about SNL selling out while making fun of selling out).

Here are the main techniques that the commercial uses-

1. HUMOR- The commercial has many funny lines that many people who have followed this skit on SNL are familiar with. People immeadiately like this commercial because it is funny. I know that the day after the Super Bowl I talked about the add with my friends, I looked at the others in the series on line, and so on because I found the add so funny. The humor kept the add in my head.

2. TESTIMONIALS- The real MacGyver is in this add, and it is done by the real SNL crew. I was drawn to this add because I have seen the skit before on SNL, and have found it very funny. People immeadiately don't consider it an add because it feature the SNL actors.

3. BANDWAGON- At one point in the add MacGruber says that he will only drink one Pepsi. Related to testimonials, but still different. Pepsi is trying to say that not only do people on SNL drink Pepsi, but so does everyone who finds this add funny.

4. TIMING- This add was run during the Super Bowl. A lot of people watch the Super Bowl to watch the commercials. They look to the commercials for entertainment. This appeals to that crowd because it is so funny. It was also shown during Saturday Night Live. The people watching that are of course going to watch this commercial, because it is pretty much the same thing as SNL.

5. NOSTALGIA- The original SNL skit is a parody of the 1980's show MacGyver. Young people will most likely be familiar with the skit on SNL (like me), and slightly older folks will know the show from the 80's. People reconize MacGyver, think about their past, and as a result pay extra attention to the commercial.