Research Blog; Commercial Conventions

We started researching options for commercial projects. For the project, we pick a company or product and create our own original 30 second commercial for it. Our options included Dunkin', Starbucks, Gatorade or Powerade, or any water company. I was considering either a water company or a product from Dunkin' or Starbucks. I ended up settling on one for Dunkin's coffee. I'm going to make one specifically for a Dunkin' latte, and use a friend from another class in the film.

I had to research common aspects found in commercials for similar products, so I researched coffee commercials. I enjoyed looking at commercials from different brands and companies, and comparing them to see what was similar between them. The brands I found the most most compelling, in terms of marketing strategies, included Starbucks, Nescafe, Maxwell House, and Folgers. Some common aspects among them included introducing the product in the early stages of production (coffee beans, natural environment) in order to show naturalness and make consumers feel more inclined to buy from them. They also sometimes show the preparation of the coffee beans for distribution or the people who help get the coffee to customers (factory time, processing, workers who handle the beans).

There are often shots included of satisfied customers drinking coffee, while a voiceover or other speaker go over various benefits of said product. Alternatively, the drinker themself will speak to the audience or another customer, praising the product. This can include comments on taste, presentation, price, size, effectiveness (e.g., "this coffee keeps me awake and full of energy all day at work"), and convenience. Some companies also use ads to advertise specific current deals on certain products, such as "buy one get one half off during the month of October". There are also those that use aesthetic shots of coffee/creamer (splashes of it going through the air in slow motion; a creamer diffusing through black coffee) in order to attract customers through the "artistic" look.