If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this:
Let me break down why I'm obsessed with this ad campaign.
Many commercials utilize the concept of 'audience surrogacy' in their campaigns. The idea is that the audience will want to be the character presented in the commercial, and therefore will buy the product the character uses. Examples of this include these two commcercials, which are both part of larger campaigns seeking to resonate with their audience.**
When someone watches these commercials, the advertisers hope to inspire their consumers. "Wow!" we're supposed to think. "That man is so dang desirable/interesting because he uses this shampoo/drinks this alcohol! I want to be like him, so I should do what he's doing!"
So let's go back to the Milky Way commercials.
In them, we meet a colorful cast of characters who are remarkably apathetic. From lumberjacks to tattoo artists, these people frequently fail to accomplish even the most basic of tasks because they were 'eating a Milky Way.' Even poor 'regerts' guy, who may now have gathered a few regerts despite his permanently emboldened claims to the contrary, doesn't seem to care that much about his lamentable fate. I would have gone ballistic.
In the end, however, there is nothing about these incompetent, unaware, self-centered Milky Way fanatics that make me want to be like them. At first glance, it would appear as though the Mars confectionery company has failed to produce an ad campaign that promotes the consumption of their product.
But then again, why have I been buying so many Milky Way bars this past week?
*My further research suggests that these commercials are actually over a year old. However, I hadn't seen a single one until this past week. Now I've seen hundreds of them, for some reason. New push, old material?
**I am merely using these commercials to make and prove points. I neither endorse nor condone the featured products.
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