Week 5, Activity 1

1. What is the product or service being sold? Can you easily figure out what the product is?
This is commercial is for Dreamlites - a Pillow Pet with a nightlight. The product name is continually repeated throughout the commercial.

2. What is the general mood or feeling of the commercial? Since we know the product or service being sold, what methods are the advertisers using to make us interested? How do they portray the product or service in a positive light.
The advertisers appeal to family. The product portrays a solution to children's nighttime fears to parents and a fun product that is a must have for children.

3. How does the soundtrack play a role in your interpretation of the commercial? Is the music cheery, dreary, suspenseful, whimsical, fun, or exciting? Does the music affect our perception of the mood? Is there a voice-over of someone telling us something? What is the voice over trying to tell us? Does the person speaking coincide with the overall mood of the commercial? Would our perception of the voice change if the voice was of a different gender or race?
The soundtrack is cheery and whimsical. It repeats the products name. Dreamlites are "magical" and "make bedtime fun". The voiceover assures you that Dreamlite will alleviate your child's fear of the dark...because "no parent wants their child to be afraid of the dark." The voice is cheery and inviting. The voiceover is voiced by a female. It appeals to mothers and children.

4. How do the actors playing the characters affect your interpretation of the commercial?Would your interpretation change if the characters were of a different race or gender? What if the characters dressed differently or spoke differently? How would that change your perception of the character?
The commercial portrays a "typical" white American middle class family. The children are in nice rooms and dressed in pajamas. The ages of the children are appropriate. The target audience wouldn't connect as well with older children because they wouldn't need nitelights.

5. How does the commercial try to get your attention? Does it use flashy graphics with fast music? Does it alter the way we see the world, either through the use of special effects or through the story line?
To grab the viewers attention, the commercial uses flashy graphics, such as the "Dreamlite" brand name. Additionally, it has special effects showing how the stars light up the ceiling. These effects go along well with the story line.

6. Who is this commercial aimed towards? Is it you or someone like you? How do you know? Why do you think the advertiser created this commercial the way they did? Would it have been as effective if it was just black and white text on the screen? Why or why not?
This commercial is aimed towards both kids and parents. I picked this commercial because my daughter was begging for this product after seeing the commercial. The commercial is flashy and cheery. It calls to kids so are afraid of the dark and like stuffed animals.