Le Report

Was It That Bad?

For this assignment, we as a group were required to pick an advertisement we were most dissatisfied with. We were to conduct thorough research about the advertisement as to why it failed as an advertisement in relation to culture and society. We were then required to re-advertise the product or brand. The advertisement that we chose and were most dissatisfied with was the Diet Coke television advertisement which featured British singer-songwriter Duffy. This advertisement was aired in 2009 in the United Kingdom. The advertisement showed Duffy coming off stage after a gig and being handed a can of Diet Coke by an assistant who tells her: "You've got about two minutes, okay?" She then cycles through the night along quiet streets, into a supermarket while singing “I Gotta Be Me” with passers by joining in. After cycling around the supermarket she returns to the concert in time to perform the encore, with on-screen text of Diet Coke’s slogan stating 'Hello You'.

What Was It Even For?

The purpose for this advertisement was to attract the targeted audiences who were British and most likely aged around 10-60. Since this was a television advertisement, it was likely that many viewers of all age, gender, and social status would come across this advertisement. This advertisement was trying to show the audience that even a busy celebrity like Duffy has the time to take a break and just enjoy life doing what she wants. While singing the song “I Gotta Be Me”, this insinuates on her wanting to do what she wants, taking a break even with her busy schedule as she is a celebrity. This is reflected on the British culture as they live in a busy society where they’re the sixth largest national economy in the world. This is evident as they make a Gross Domestic Product of $2.3 trillion. (The Heritage Foundation, 2013) This advertisement is trying to connect with the audience in attempt to send out the message that even they, the audiences deserve to take a break from their busy day and enjoy a Diet Coke doing whatever as they please. 

The advertisement can also be targeted at a slightly larger audiences as Coca-Cola used Duffy as their star in the advertisement. Coca-cola had the choice of many models and celebrities to pick from but they picked Duffy, and she isn’t exactly a slim sized celebrity. This message insinuates that Diet Coke is for people who are cautious about their weight or who want to lose weight by going on a diet yet still being able to taste the joy of a Coke. 

This is reflected on the British as 20% of United Kingdom’s population is obese. 40% of males are overweight while 30% for females. (University of Birmingham Research Centre) This advertisement is trying to make a connection with the audience by using a slightly larger celebrity in an effort to reflect and represent those who are slightly overweight as well. By using Duffy, those who are slightly larger would be able to feel a connection with Duffy. And by drinking Diet Coke, they are able to live their life the way they want it yet being able to enjoy the taste of a coke. 

Why Duffy? 

The reason why Coca-cola used a celebrity for their advertisement is to further hope that the advertisement would catch more audiences attention. Celebrity endorsement is recognized worldwide especially in United Kingdom where many famous celebrities were born. The power of a celebrity image is powerful as the British live in a society where they like the image and idea of glamour and fame. Both which are represented through a celebrity. They are famous, successful, and rich. Who wouldn't want that kind of life? This is why advertising in all forms of media nowadays contain images of a celebrity or someone famous. For Coca-cola, they used Duffy to represent Diet Coke in order to attract more audiences. Be it Duffy’s fans, people who have heard of Duffy, or even people who find her attractive. In the audiences mind, they have this idea of “If my favorite celebrity is drinking Diet Coke, I want to drink Diet Coke too!”. And by them doing so, the audiences feel as though they are on the same page as Duffy, as though they and Duffy have the same lifestyle, ultimately achieving the satisfaction of drinking the drink that a celebrity drinks. As when we see someone famous that we know in an advertisement, we are tend to be drawn to the product subconsciously. This is because in our minds, we are drawn to the idea of how the celebrity looks in the advertisement. Their hair is fabulous, their smile is charming and their eyes are shining. In our minds, we want that, we want to look as good as that, we want to be that celebrity. 

What Did We Do? I'll Tell You What...

Changes were needed to be made as the advertisement may have been misleading nor sending out a negative message. Firstly, the advertisement to most viewers made no sense as they viewed it as Duffy riding around on a bicycle while singing. It didn’t manage to sell or persuade the audience to drink Diet Coke. Many viewers also stated that her singing was terrible and she sounded more like a duck. The advertisement also violated the safety of road regulations as Duffy was not wearing any light reflective garment or gear that was installed on the bicycle. This could be imitated by children which would be very dangerous as children are young and naive and would do anything that they see in television. 

Our groups idea was to take the most British things to do such as drinking tea, and going to the pub to drink, and having it replaced with Diet Coke. As the initial advertisement  was unable to send a clear and direct persuasive message to the targeted audiences in relation to their British culture and society. We are redesigning the advertisement in order to make the message clear and direct yet not misleading or confusing. As the targeted audiences were the busy people of United Kingdom and the slightly larger audiences. We are trying to swap tea and or beer with Diet Coke. United Kingdom is a country where they love their tea, and is one of the highest tea consuming countries. In our redesigning, we are trying to get the audience the replace tea with Diet Coke. Our new slogan is “Live Life Light”, in this context, “Light” representing refreshing and cold. Tea can be heavy sometimes and what more when it’s hot. But by drinking a Diet Coke instead, you can enjoy both the refreshment and the taste of a Coke, satisfying your thirst. This can also be reflected in the busy British culture. They can be so busy sometimes, they just won’t have the time to sit down and enjoy a nice “cuppa”, but by replacing tea with Diet Coke, you are able to save time as it’s sold in a can or a bottle making it on-the-go. This would ultimately allow the busy British who are seeking a quick and refreshing fix to be satisfied with a Diet Coke. 

It is also a very British thing to do to go to a pub after work or on the weekends, where they meet up with friends to socialize and have a few drinks. But sometimes, going to a pub isn’t just about drinking one too many and getting drunk which results in forgetting the night. So by going to the pub and drinking a diet coke instead, not only are you able to enjoy the refreshment and taste the drink provides, you are also able to enjoy your night out without getting intoxicated. And where the slogan comes in- “Live Life Light”, in this context the “Light” meaning having it easy, to take it lightly- by not drinking one too many beers and end up with a bad headache the next morning, therefore taking it lightly. This idea also aims at the slightly lager audience. As it is a known fact that beer gives you what everyone calls the “beer belly”. Everyone who drinks beer knows what I’m talking about. And by drinking diet coke, you are able to reduce your sugar intake which results in less fats, ultimately resulting to cutting down the “beer belly”. This idea relates to the society of United Kingdom as its population is 20% obese and it helps fight and tackle the problem.  

Cheers Mate!

Overall our redesigning of the advertisement has been given plenty of thought and process into developing an advertisement that is much more effective and has an impact and cause that can relate to the British in many ways. Our redesigning of the advertisement is able to face the culture and social issues that the British are facing such as a hectic busy lifestyle and an increasing obesity rate. And it is able to overcome these issues through connecting with the audiences and creating impact by reflecting their lifestyles and culture in our advertisement. 

-WOO

REFERENCE

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http://www.harzing.com/ukculture.htm

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http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/02February/Pages/Latest-obesity-stats-for-England-are-alarming-reading.aspx 

New College Manchester -What Are British People Really Like, 2012. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.newcollegemanchester.com/2012/12/05/what-are-british-people-really-like/

Obesity in The UK - University of Birmingham Research, 2013. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/mds/centres/obesity/obesity-uk/index.aspx

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