Research: Commercial Conventions and Codes

I’ll be doing a Coca-Cola commercial. In many Coca-Cola commercials, there are displays groups of people bonding together over a coke. There are also some that show people doing everyday activities enjoying a coke to brighten their mood. Some of these activities include studying, hard physical labor, eating with family, or simply running errands. One thing that all these commercials seem to have in common is the association with happiness to the Coca-Cola drink. This heavily implies that no matter the task at hand, a coke will always make your day better. People in these commercials are often happy or in a good mood upon receiving a bottle of coke. Their costumes are very basic, they're dressed as everyday people which gives the narrative that just about anyone can enjoy a coke. Some of the props include, Coca-Cola bottles or cans, tall glasses, bottle caps, and red and white items which match their theme colors. The appearance of the actors ranges greatly but most are average looking people. This contributes to the narrative that anyone can enjoy a coke regardless of your build, looks or socio-economic class. Depending on what activity they’re doing before having a coke, they’re usually stressed or visibly fatigued. After drinking one, their mood almost immediately brightens. The score throughout the commercials are usually fast-paced and upbeat when the subject is enjoying their drink. Prior to drinking the coke, the music is slower and a bit gloomy sometimes. This is meant to show the audience that life will be a little brighter with a coke.

 

Conventions and codes in Coca-Cola commercials include the iconic red circle with “Coca-Cola” written in cursive in the middle of it. In the United States, the current slogan is “Together Tastes Better”. This encourages the audience to go ahead and enjoy a coke with someone that means something to them and to enjoy the good times together through Coca-Cola. In their commercials, the props always resemble the theme colors of Coca-Cola, white and red. All official Coca-Cola products are positioned in a way that the logo is vibrant and clearly visible to let the audience know what kind of commercial it is. These commercials are in a variety of languages and are shot worldwide, making it an international household brand because of the clever placements of its props. Many of these commercials use ethos and pathos to persuade the audience to go out and buy a coke. Using commercials based around family bonding, which is important to a lot of people in the world, the message runs deeper to that specific audience making them more likely to buy the product. The use of pathos is used in their commercials advertising emotes on coke bottles as a way to share how you feel when you give someone a coke. Coca-Cola also uses well known musicians in their commercials for background music to reach a broader audience.