DEWmocracy
I had to watch the video clip several times because I honestly could not believe that the video was actually an advertisement for Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew’s previous advertising campaigns all contained an element of immaturity with the commercials featuring snowboarders and mountain bikers performing dangerous stunts. Even though I sometimes thought that Mountain Dew’s past commercials were ridiculous I felt that the overall feeling and theme of the advertisements suited the brand well and were appropriately geared towards the beverage’s target audience. After viewing this new video clip and absorbing the brand’s new approach towards advertising, I am not sure if the style in which the commercial was filmed works well with the brand. The announcers tone, the visuals, the length, the quality and the overall intensity of the video created an aura which seems far too serious for what the product is. The commercial’s ability to evoke a sense of immediacy, drama and importance certainly does grab the attention of the viewer however; after learning about what the advertisement actually pertains to, I felt let down. As the video progressed and the anticipation increased, I was prepared to take action at the end of the clip but when I realized that I was actually being asked to vote on the next flavor of soda, I was annoyed. I don’t care about voting for the next flavor of Mountain Dew nor does the advertisement make me any more inclined to do so. Essentially, I feel as if Mountain Dew is attempting to make the importance of their new product’s release seem as important as that of an actual political campaign. The part of the whole thing which is the saddest is that some people probably will be way more involved in the voting process pertaining to the new flavor of Mountain Dew then they will be in the upcoming elections.
Visually, the advertisement is very intriguing. Each time I watched the video clip a new element of the advertisement was brought to my attention. Departing from the advertisements which usually feature bright colors, the whole video clip was cast in dark coloring and lighting. I also particularly enjoyed the tone of the announcer’s voice. The sense of seriousness and drama within the announcer’s voice really accentuated the overall effect of the advertisement.
