Sunday, April 29, 2012


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a2lxZZCgM0&feature=related

This link will take you to a Mikes Hard Lemonade commercial. As some of you may know, Mikes claims that they offer a nice switch up from beer. The commercial displays the creator of Mike's apparently in the dark talking so his face can't be revealed, as he explains how they create the lemonade with cartoon like lemons being shown. It portrays the lemons in a nice little fun way that certainly seems to be something that the youth would like, and not something that is so much for an adult audience. At the very end is the first time alcohol is somewhat mentioned about the drink when the creator says "and then we make the lemonade 'hard' if you know what I mean."

Do you think using this type of commercial makes Mike's Hard appealing to kids? Does the fact that Mike's advertises being mostly lemonade make it seem okay for kids to drink it? Do you think that since a lot kids don't like the taste of beer, using this lemonade type alcohol drink encourages kids to try different types of alcoholic drinks?

10 comments:

  1. prompt 1:
    While watching the video, I noticed that it began with a darker setting and then the lemons are a happy cartoon with bright colors. These bright and happy associations with the lemons show that the Mikes Hard Lemonade will probably make you happy while drinking them. Also, the lemons are said to be sliced at the perfect timing, implying that the drink will always taste perfectly.
    To answer Casey's questions, I don't think the commercial appeals to kids but it does appeal to a younger crowd versus adults in their 50s for example. The fact that the product is lemonade based may draw teenagers in more as opposed to beer or liquor but it is still alcohol. I don't think it makes it more okay for kids to drink but it may come off as a good alternative to those who don't like the taste of other alcoholic products.

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    1. I feel that the commercial appeals to more to children just based on the way the lemons are presented. For example, the use of bright yellow cartoon lemons with large red lips will definitely catch a child’s eye. Also the lemons seem to resemble Mr. and Mrs. Potato head from Toy Story. The texture and the appearance of the extremities are very similar to the Potatoes. I don’t think the cartoonish appearance of the lemons would appeal to adults and teens as much, but it is possible that the dark and light effects and the words of the narrator appeal to an older audience.

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  2. Looks Matter
    The commercial begins with a man whose image is darkened so that you can't see his identity. He then goes on to tell the audience that he cannot tell them all of his "secrets," which go into the creation of Mike's Hard Lemonade. This intensifies the effect so that the audience thinks that the their really is a "secret" recipe that makes the lemonade great. The smiling face of the man and the smiling face of the lemon are there in order to associate Mike's Hard Lemonade with happiness and great taste. In a way, the creator's are saying the drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade will make you happy. Additionally, the commercial shows that the male and female lemons are in "love." Love is something that once again can be associated with happiness and pleasure. The sudden juicing of the lemons provides an almost comedic effect and a dose of visual entertainment thus keeping the commercial entertaining.
    This type of commercial does make Mike's Hard Lemonade appealing to both kids and adults as I think both enjoy the commercial's creativity. I just realized Mike's Hard Lemonade is an alcoholic drink so I guess a case could be made that a young child would also experience the same confusion. Many would therefore consider this ad wrong as a case could be made that the liquor based drink is being marketed towards children.

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    1. If the smiling face of the lemon associate Mike's Hard Lemonade with happiness then why does the commercial with the lemon screaming and getting sliced? If they are trying to say that drinking their product will make you happy, are they also trying to say that it will make you feel horrible and ruined in the long run? It seems to be a deceptive happiness where the man happily plays along with the lemons before ultimately cutting them for use in the product. I feel as if the commercial is more comedic in nature with the cartoon-like nature. I don't believe the creators intended for the lemon's moods to be representative of the moods of their drinkers.

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  3. I am choosing prompt 1:Looks matter. In this commercial for Mike’s Hard Lemonade, it definitely seems like this advertisement is more focused towards a younger audience. The commercial is mainly cartoonish. I think this type of cartoonish focus may make it seem like this is an okay product for kids. This type of advertisement may cause interest to underage adolescents. This is an alcoholic beverage that tastes like lemonade. This may be an influence on adolescents to try this different type of alcoholic beverage. It is pretty much a trend that not many people like beer the first time they try it. This alternate alcoholic beverage seems to be advertised towards this adolescent audience. The whole visual appeal is very important in the way the creators go about promoting this product. The cartoonish images of the lemons are a very important of the visual appeal. As I have said before, the cartoonish images are appealing to the younger audience. This may make the adolescent audience want to try the product. Overall, the whole cartoonish appeal directs the advertising towards the adolescent mainly because of the visual appear.

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    1. Christian makes many good points in his comment; however, there are many parts of the commercial that indicate that it is not for kids. The blacked out man may appear scary to kids as well as the image of a knife. The lemons are also not that cartoonish, they are real lemons with a stuck on face. Yes the background does make it seem like a cartoon, but just because it looks like a cartoon, does not mean it will attract kids. The TV show Southpark is a cartoon, but is not targeting kids. The scene with the wink also shows that it is targeting adults because that implication would go over the heads of children.

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  4. Prompt 1: Looks Matter.
    This ad utilizes cartoon and toy-like things to describe the contents of this alcoholic beverage. These descriptions make it much more appealing to kids along with making it seem more relatable. Along with that, they commercial overall to me sounded a lot like an orange juice commercial for example. It specified it's natural and best-picked produce. With these two factors combined, it made the product the creators were advertising come off as a very casual topic.
    The only characteristic of the commercial that I found made it seem like a commercial for an alcoholic beverage was the end where "Mike" the narrator said "It's the element of surprise that makes it hard. If you know what I mean.." If it didn't have the logo for Mike's Hard Lemonade clearly stated in the beginning of the commercial, I think it'd be extremely questionable as to what they were specifically advertising. This is ad is made to seem very nonchalant about the fact that it is an alcoholic beverage and should still be had responsibly.

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    1. I think one idea that could complicate the claim that this commercial could appeal to a younger audience is the fact that there are adult elements to the ad as well. Although cartoonish, the killing of the happy lemon couple seems to be a dark element that may imply the ad is intended for an adult audience. Also, the effects of specification that the product is made with the freshest lemons is debatable as well. It can be argued that creators of ads tend to use health and natural properties of a product as incentive to appeal more to adults, and that younger consumers are perhaps less concerned with how natural a product than an adult might be.

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  5. I too am choosing to do prompt 1 Looks Matter
    The commercial uses stop and go animation style while following the ripening of two lemons. I agree with Rizina when she says it is a lot like an orange juice commercial. The creators chose to emphasize the fruity, fun happy side of their drink, and not the alcoholic part. other alcoholic drink commercials tend to focus on how cool you are by choosing their drink. This commercial seems to emphasize that people who drink this hard lemonade do so for the lemonade flavor, and not so much the alcoholic portion. The alcohol is only mentioned in passing.
    To answer some of Casey's questions, I do believe the commercial comes off as Mike's Hard Lemonade being more acceptable for teenagers than other drinks such as beers. Beers are for people trying to be cool and fit in to their social situation. This lemonade is for your average person, just looking for a fun and fruity drink, with a little bit of an edge to it. It some off as much more ok for teenagers to drink. They drink it because of the taste, not the alcoholic effect.

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    1. Andrew Bs comment on the subject was rather isightful. It brought up how being cool is not necessarily required of alcohol. Another significant point is that the alcohol was done for the appeal and not the actual reason behind it. One problem however may be that there was not both sides to the argument, only one side was brought up and there was no complicating evidence brought about. Overall this was a rather organized and intelligent blog comment.

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