Commercial Audit of NBC Crisis (GRADE)

Promoting a brand’s social media is a popular trend in television commercials. As per the assignment, I audited the first hour of commercials for NBC’s new Sunday night drama Crisis. 

I think it is important to give a quick synopsis of the television show to gain insight into the target market. The main plot of Crisis revolves around the fact that a group of school children were abducted while traveling on a school trip. What makes these children even more significant is that a majority of these children have parents in positions of higher power such as President of the United States or an ambassador. 

Image courtesy of NBC

Many of these commercials were targeted towards the working population. A popular type of commercial advertised current car sales which can include specific cars such as the Mercedes-Benz E 359 Sport Sedan, BMW 320 iSedan, Infiniti Q50 or spring sales such as the Spring into a Honda sales event, Cadillac Spring Event,Chevy Open House, or the Lincoln Luxury Uncovered event. While I have seen products and services such as Dunkin Donuts, AT&T, Mountain Dew and Revlon incorporate various social media buttons, these particular commercials did not.

Two other brands that did not use social media were medically related. The first was for prescription Celebrex-for a body in motion. This medication is for those who experience pain with two specific types of arthritis in the hopes that movement will be made easier. Given the age of the target markets, it would not make sense to push social media because it is meant for older individuals. Another over-the-counter drug Excedrin, used for headaches may not be in the social space because they may not be able to engage in meaningful conversations that relate to their product. Neither of these companies opting to forgo social media surprise me because they are also classified in a highly regulated field in accordance to U.S. Governing laws and would need to keep records of interactions with followers or Facebook fans. 

Two ads that did surprise me for not incorporating the social space was the advertisement for the newly expanded Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando and the movie Noah which hits theaters and IMAX on Friday March 28th. Both could benefit by partaking in the online interactions that will surely happen.

Image courtesy of author

While the previous commercials may have benefited from stating their presence on Facebook and Twitter companies like Marshall’s and TJ Maxx and Garnier may benefit more by stating their affiliation with Pintrest where followers can post pictures of their new inexpensive, yet stylish garments or unique hairstyles. 

Overall, there were a grand total of five commercials that had some reference to social media. In my personal opinion, I think this is directly related to the time slot of the show-Sundays 10 p.m. All of these brands referenced social medial at the last seconds of the commercial leaving a lasting impression upon the consumer. The following included buttons for Facebook and Twitter in the upper right hand corner: Subway, which was promoting their new flatizza, Bounty paper towels, and the NBC affiliate station, NBC 4 New York. 

I then investigated two commercials further to see if they were successful at integrating social media into traditional advertisements. One TV ad focused on the Ford Mustang as seen in the all-new movie Need for Speed. At the center of the screen was the #needforspeed sandwiched between the parental rating at the bottom of the screen and the movie title at the top. Looking at their twitter page the imaging is similar as the commercial. However I do not feel their tone in their tweets are consistent. The
commercial uses a tone of superiority and class, while their responses to fans uses humor and friendliness.

Image courtesy of Ford

The second brand I looked at was Chili’s Bar and Grill. In the television commercial they were promoting their Southwest pairings. In the final image they show the pepper logo while verbally stating their slogan “more life happens here” underneath is #chilis. Going to their YouTube page they incorporate this theme in their recently uploaded commercials and through their cover photo, which feature their new Fresh Mex Bowls.

 

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