When a company hires a spokesman to promote its product, the ultimate goal is to sell the maximum amount of that product. Companies go to great lengths in order to position their spokesman in ways that effectively advertise their products. The commercial above is a MasterCard commercial featuring Peyton Manning, the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning is one of the best and most famous athletes in the United States. He has been one of the faces of the NFL since he was drafted 1st overall in the 1998 NFL draft. Thus, given his premier status in the U.S. sporting landscape, it makes sense that MasterCard decided to pay Peyton Manning to advertise their credit cards.
This commercial is part of a larger MasterCard advertising campaign, featuring the phrase: “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else there’s MasterCard.” The overall idea of this campaign is to illustrate that while certain once-in-a-lifetime events cannot be bought for any price, anything with a price tag can be bought using MasterCard. The Peyton Manning commercial gives prices for a grill, a sandwich, and a tank of gas, but claims that having fans is a priceless commodity.
The most interesting part of Peyton Manning’s function in this commercial is the role reversal with his fans. Typically, Manning is adored and cheered by fans. He is revered as a hero in Indianapolis, and countless kids dream of becoming Peyton Manning when they grow up. In this commercial, however, Peyton Manning is rooting on people who are doing ordinary things such as making a sandwich or filling up a tank of gas. Normally, these people would be rooting for Manning on the football field. In this commercial, Manning is pretending to be a passionate follower of his fans.
The role reversal that Manning employs makes this commercial very memorable. For many commercials, I forget the product being advertised right after seeing it because there is nothing notable about the action in the commercial. In this commercial, however, Manning’s role reversal with his fans has seared the MasterCard image into my mind. I will never see this commercial and not remember that the product being advertised is MasterCard. Therefore, this commercial seems to be very successful in its goal of promoting the MasterCard brand, due in large part to Peyton Manning’s role reversal with his fans.
The blatant role reversal adds a very comical aspect to this commercial. It is not an everyday occurence that Peyton Manning is standing in a parking lot grilling. The fact that he is so enthusiastic throughout the commercial really appealed to me as an "ordinary fan". He cheers and applaudes even the most basic things such as cutting meat for a sandwich. I agree entirely with what you're saying that this the brand for this commercial is unforgettable and that the viewer can relate easily.
ReplyDeleteThere is something about Peyton Manning that makes him an excellent spokesman. He is in commercials for MasterCard, Sony, Sprint, Gatorade, and many others. It cannot be explained simply by his success since Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady is equally if not more successful. Peyton is just so easy to like. He is enthusiastic in the commercials he does and is not afraid to make fun of himself. The personality of the star in the commercial is so important and Peyton's likability is part of what makes this particular ad so enjoyable.
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