Shock Treatment

Title – Shock Treatment

Every company that has a product to sell wants to have their advertisements grab the attention of the potential buyer. Companies today are competing at high levels to come up with the advertisements that will be flashy and aggressive so consumers will become interested in their product. However, a commercial or an ad might not get the initial point across or cause many viewers to be confused when they see them. Sometimes, what the company is trying to do might offend people. Ethical lines may be walked upon so that the strong points can be presented to the consumer.
For example, Nike has introduced a new commercial that has caused quite a stir among critics. The title of this commercial is 'Beautiful';. The thirty second spot, created by longtime ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, debut nationally on October 12 during the National League Championship Series and will air into November. What this ad focuses on is a handful of athletes who have each suffered serious scarring or physical trauma while participating in their sport of choice. The spot is filmed in black-and-white, accented by a haunting rendition of the song 'You Are So Beautiful To Me,'; and featuring close-ups of injuries suffered by both elite and so-called 'everyday'; athletes. It closes with the 'Just Do It'; message followed by the Nike Swoosh.
Nike's point of the commercial is that athletes at all levels of competition at one time or another feel the pain of injury. For some, damage can be severe to the point of disfigurement. Many give up the game they love for safer persist. Others overcome seemingly insurmountable injuries to compete again, proudly bearing the surgical scars that urge them onward. What this commercial shows are somewhat disturbing shots of a shark bite, a missing fingertip, missing teeth, scars from a surgically repaired knee and a shattered eye socket. The main question is what does this have to do with Nike products and services.
Nike's ads, like many other businesses, require interpretation. Some of their commercials go on at the conscious level, some unconsciously. I have a constructive point of view in that I view meaning as interplay between text and the reader. Texts are full of indeterminacy, which require the reader's active interpretation. Thus, readers of advertisements bring with them a surface knowledge of the language as well as a set of preconceived ideas about how to relate the ads to themselves.