FEAST! Snickers Ad

Who created this media message? Why?

The Mars Bars Candy company AKA the people who make Snickers and other candy made this commercial to advertise the Snickers candy bar. They are trying to show that Snickers are not a wussy candy bar and in fact can be very filling, hence the phrase FEAST! repeated throughout the advertisement.

Who is the target audience? What text, images or sounds suggest this?

I think they are trying to target every person who already likes candy bars. If a person doesn't like candy bars most likely this commercial no matter how funny won't change that perspective. However if you are like a good friend of mine, he will not go into a store without buying a candy bar. If he is in the grocery store and all of sudden sees a Snickers bar and thinks FEAST, making him purchase it, the ad did it's job. I think the "everybody" audience is given away by the car they are driving around in. The image I picture isn't those characters in that car but a group of middle class Americans squeezing together trying to get to work on time in someones late model sedan. I think that image of the car poolers plus the crazy cast of characters acting as the car poolers make all people who aren't living necessarily living the high lifestyle connect to this ad.

What is the text(literal) meaning of the message?

The literal text is that Snickers bars can fill you up. The figures are ready for feasting hints that they are some hungry individuals and that Snickers is taking care of them.

What is the subtext(hidden message)?

I think hidden message is that Snickers is for people on the go. I feel like the whole point of picking up people in the car, is to hint that these people have got to be somewhere but they need to feast, so Snickers is there to save to the day. I think the big characters that these men are also subliminally deliver the message that Snickers is filling. Therefore the Snickers is filling message is attacked literally by "FEAST!" and subliminally with the cast of characters being big men with big appetites.

What kind of lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized? How?

I think the life style of a hungry person is presented in a way that kind of does glamorize it. I think because these characters are so shameless (particularly the driver of the car) that this oafy, driving a car with a dent in it lifestyle is portrayed as a life style of real people, real people who are happy and hungry. Therefore Snickers is for these "normal people all-stars" because normal people need to eat to.

What values are expressed?

I think the values expressed are that it's OK to eat to be full. I think a lot of times these days people are portion controlling with what they eat. Therefore an ad like this would be counterproductive to that cause. At the same time many people have really big appetites and need eat a lot to feel fueled. These people probably are sick of hearing about portion control and are excited to see a commercial like this because this is promoting it's OK to eat or "FEAST!"

What techniques of persuasion are being used?

The main technique is humor. This is a commercial that makes no sense. Why would a Viking, Pilgram and whoever else they picked up be driving around wrecklessly in an late model sedan. It makes no sense, yet it's probably one of the funnier things on TV right now because it is so over the top. The "FEAST!" tag now gives Snickers a phrase people can connect with. The fact that someone can scream "FEAST!" and it being funny when they buy a Snickers bar will influence their decision. Now the person my not directly realize that but I bet if I spent a day at 7-11 in the lower 48's I would observe numerous people looking at the candy with their friends and someone will see Snickers and say "FEAST!"

What healthy and unhealthy messages are being communicated?

The commercial pays homage to the normal hungry man and I think thats a healthy message because the truth is no one is perfect yet sometimes society might expect that from us. If this commercial had used a famous rapper, it might make people not feel like they are "down"(cool) for Snickers bars. At the same time, candy is something that should be eaten sparingly. If a little kid sees this commercial I could see them irritating their parents by screaming "FEAST!" all the time and demanding Snickers for dinner. I think junk food commercials in general avoid that issue about moderation. It does not make a whole lot sense to me considering alcohol commercials always say something like "enjoy responsibly". I think that with child obesity on the rise and the fact that video games, computer and TVs are a huge part of children's lives, more awareness about better eating habits need to be raised by the companies that sell the products.

What part of the story is not being told?

The part of the story not share is the healthiness of Snickers. Most people know Snickers is probably not best thing for a person but these commercials never really note that their products could be a factor with someones weight issue. My fear is all children no matter what size connects to this commercial for it's humor and suddenly feel it's OK to binge on candy bars. That "FEAST!" tag can really be poison because it's so catchy and easy to imitate it, give the product something extra for consumers to do besides eat it.