RedBull Commercial- Davin LaIacoma

The World of RedBull

Thesis

RedBull supports its extreme athletes and if you too drink the product you may have a chance at achieving greatness. 

Rational Brain

This commercial gives the viewer a sense of realization of what is possible and the opportunities that are open to them.  By showing the extreme clips of RedBull's athletes, the viewer's rational brain can start to think of possibilities and what they are doing at that moment.  The commercial also gives off an idea of getting out and doing something. 

Emotional Brain

The brain is moved emotionally through the images of scenery, actions, narration, and the music played in the background.  The images of the scenery touch the fact that the world around us is beautiful and we need to get out and explore.  Actions and music act together to inspire and make one in awe of what is happening in the video.

Reptilian Brain

Danger is everywhere in the commercial and RedBull uses it as one of the driving factors of their company.  They are able to show the ordinary person that things are possible by pushing limits.  Although our first instinct is to avoid these dangers, the actions done in the video makes the viewer want to fight that fear.

Aesthetic Shift

The aesthetic shift in the commercial is that you can watch what someone does in their life on YouTube.

Epistemological Shift

Instead of advertising through a testimony or written ad, RedBull uses the images of their athletes to convince the viewer that with their product opportunities are open and out to be explored.

Discursive Shift

Discursive shifts are all about taking a subjective view on something instead of an objective or bias free view.  This video does not show anything about health issues related to their product, just what is possible if you drink it.  

Five Facts

• There is an open world around us and we should be out to conquer it.
• The human body can do a lot and we need to test our limits.
• If we think of something, it can be made possible.
• RedBull's athletes are inspirational.
• To enjoy life, one needs to do what they love.

Three Principles 

1. Emotional Transfer:  The commercial is all about pushing limits and being inspired by some of the professional athletes shown.  There is a want to be able to do something that you have seen in the video and therefore the commercial has changed your mood and drives you to think.
2. Production Techniques:  From the man talking about pushing limits to the actual footage of the action, there is constant thought out ways of getting the viewer thinking.  The overall vibe is inspiring and the awe at the beauty of where we live.
3. Pacing: By quickly swapping between video clips,  the producers get a lot of action into such a short time.  It doesn't give you time to analyze the whole action going on (scenery, athlete movement, difficulty, etc.).  

Persuasive Techniques

1. Big Lie:  The big lie is usually a way used to convince you that if you use this product you can do this.  RedBull uses this as a way to get the viewer excited through their advertisement.  The goal is to make the viewer drink the product and make them believe they can do extraordinary things also.
2. Rhetorical Questions: RedBull is using the question of being able to push your limits to get the viewer in a mood of testing boundaries and what they can do with their lives.
3. Simple Solutions:  By drinking our product, you will be on the level of our professional athletes.  The appearance that they all use the product makes the viewer get a sense of needing this product to achieve something.
4. Beautiful People:  The athletes themselves are not shown but the actions that they are taking give the viewer a beautiful image of the world and the moment that is captured in their actions.  The eye and wind blowing over the mountain are two examples of this strategy in the commercial.
5. Testimonial: Sponsorship is a big part in the ad.  RedBull gives all images of their name on their athletes which gives the audience the insight that they are the product and would enjoy the drink in their lives too.  For example every helmet, car, and piece of equipment has a RedBull sticker or decal on it.

Course Themes

1. RedBull's commercial shares a feeling of excitement with their audience and it gives the viewer a want to do more.  This medium style is perfect for touching the senses and mind of the audience through example.
2. RedBull drives their media campaign through being able to advertise their sponsored athletes.  The main focus is to get out and do something that you never thought you would be able to do.  Without this sense of go and try it, their extreme views on life could not be relayed to the average audience.
3. Capturing life as it happens and sharing it to the world is a major factor in the creation of streaming sites such as YouTube and Vimeo which are a large part of our 21st Century Media.