Pepsi Advertisement, Essay Example

There remains an ongoing struggle between the American government and large soda organizations and companies as a result of the burgeoning obesity epidemic. This struggle is propelled by profits, as soda companies aim to sell their products on a global scale in order to yield profits, while the government is more concerned about the overall health of its citizens as obesity continues to escalate at an exponential rate which has wracked the healthcare system. This Pepsi commercial is one of many released as a useful tactic to persuade Americans that their product is enjoyable and healthy at the same time, which is why consumers should invest in it. It targets a broad audience of individuals between the age of twelve to adults in their mid fifties. The selling proposition of the commercial is that if the consumer imbibes Pepsi, then he or she will be able to exhibit their true, inner strength. The attributes of the product showcased are that it is both addicting and very tasty and that customers would benefit from drinking it by becoming more relaxed yet stronger. As such, there immense personal value therein, as it is a sociable drink and gives people immense pleasure. Rather than celebrate an accomplishment with alcohol, Pepsi as a viable substitute, which is a cogent way of appealing to both children and adults alike.

The current obesity epidemic has destroyed the lives of millions of Americans in addition to making the government go bankrupt as a result of medical costs associated with the condition. As Ungar (2012) asserts, obesity in the United States has contributed “an astounding $190 billion dollars to the annual national healthcare price tag” (Ungar, 2012). Prescription drugs and hospitalizations account for such a high number, which exceeds the medical costs associated with smoking cigarettes, although that statistic is misleading due to the fact that smokers often die earlier and thus save the government from spending more on their medical care through Social Security, Medicare, and private pensions. Obese people tend to live just as long as their healthy counterparts yet they need more healthcare through the course of their lives. Because obese children usually do not change their lifestyle behaviors throughout the course of their lives, so obese children usually grow up to be obese adults, which further burdens the healthcare system. As such, the American government has increasingly wielded its power to abate childhood obesity rates, such as mandating schools to enhance the quality of the food served in the cafeteria in addition to enforcing nutrition education so that they lead healthier lifestyles. Moreover, several states have also implemented the prohibition of selling soda in elementary and high schools. As a result, Pepsi has been forced to alter their image in order to combat their soiled image, which is evident in this advertisement. This commercial is saturated with various discourses such as the discourse of race in addition to various rhetorical devices in order to target their intended customers in a shifting cultural climate.

There are various signifiers of Chinese culture in this film, which expresses a discourse of race that effectively bridges western and eastern cultures. The Pepsi advertisement aims as galvanizing a broader audience by framing their product as beneficial rather than detrimental to human health, which is why everyone should drink the carbonated beverage. This goal is achieved by the setting of the commercial, which clearly takes place in China through the use of imagery and eastern style, Chinese instrumental music that is playing in the background rather than western-style music that typifies mainstream commercials. The music enhances the serenity of the scene in addition to its believability within the setting. These monks appear to be Chinese monks living in Shaolin who practice Kung Fu on a quotidian basis, and they have been doing so for over fifteen thousand years (Canzonieri, 1996). The Shaolin Temple is very familiar to the Chinese people because the mysteries and legends that surrounded it was the subject of various movies as well as works of literature. Kung Fu is a symbol of Chinese culture, and as the original form of martial arts it is shrouded in mysteries in connecting with the Shaolin Temple.  These monks are renowned for their religious zeal and their amazing discipline, so in order to imbue credence into this advertisement, the monks are deployed therein. If Chinese monks who embrace an ascetic yet active lifestyle drink Pepsi as a sign of their inclusiveness within the community, then the viewer should as well (Canzonieri, 1996). The juxtaposition of Pepsi—a western trope–within the Chinese monk community underscores the logic within this commercial.

It is clear that the sounds and appearances of the actors in addition to the location within an advertisement reveals the brand’s target audience in addition to the assumptions made about the target. Commercials form a cultural script and can function as a discourse of race in which certain demographics are not represented as well as those that are present. The Pepsi brand advertisers constructed this advertisement with an overt cognizance of the demographics of their target audience, which means that the target audience is shown in the commercial itself and can also reflect the demographic constitution of the brand itself. Not all advertisements limn their target audience in a direct manner but rather how the consumer might view themselves. Racial identification governs the manner in which advertisements are interpreted and assessed. As such, advertisements mirror changing values and conceptions of contemporary society in addition to attitudes towards various cultural constructions of race. Stereotypes can function in a variety of ways in advertisements such as this Pepsi ad, as they impact the message being sent to the target audience. The appearance, body gestures, attire, and speech all contribute to the discursive framing of the Chinese monks juxtaposed against the young American boy. Kung Fu is commonly associated with eastern cultures and is the most discernible form of martial arts that audiences understand is a Chinese cultural practice.

The appearance of Asian actors within this commercial geared towards a global audience indicates that a discourse of race is evident in it, which requires to decode the cultural script in order to extrapolate meaning. In this commercial, it is clear that the advertisers are dealing with issues related to modernity and at the same time provide some amusement to consumers. The cultural clash evident here intimates that the young American boy must work hard for a protracted period of time until he is on par with his asian counterparts. From a racial perspective, the commercial insinuates that white America is lagging behind the Chinese in terms of strength and fortitude, which has historical roots due to the oscillating antagonism that has fomented between the two cultures for centuries. The element of time is also an interesting one since it took the young American boy over ten years of determination and hard work to perfect the art of kung fu and actually become accepted as a monk in the Shaolin monk community. Geert Hofstede proffered a cultural dimension theory that can be applied to various national contexts to understand various aspects and values of a particular culture (Hofstede 1). When applying the theory to China, it is evident that China enjoys the highest long-term orientation score in comparison to all of the other countries across the world. This particular dimension conveys how a particular society views time and its attitude toward preserving time, meaning conquering any hindrances and obstacles through strength and sheer willpower. Ultimately, this commercial suggests a poignant message to both Americans and Chinese alike: Pepsi mirrors the Shao Lin spirit and carries with it a spirit of strength, power, hard work, perserverance, determination, and a long-term orientation.

References

Cameron. (2005). Language, gender, and sexuality: Current issues and new directions.” Applied Linguistics, 26(4), 482-502.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and Organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publishing.

Rhodes, J. (2000). The visibility of race and media history. Review and Criticism. 

Ungar, R. (2012). Obesity now costs Americans more In health care spending than smoking.” Forbes Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2015 from  <http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/04/30/obesity-now-costs-Americans-more-in-healthcare-costs-than-smoking/>.