'Relatable' Advertisements
There are many tactics that advertisements try to use to hook their audience. I believe that the most effective tactic is to tell a story within a commercial that utilizes characters, plot, conflict and resolution. Most advertisements do not follow this format. Most employ cheap laughs or eye candy visuals. The problem with these two methods is that ‘funny’ ads are not always funny, and visually stimulating ads emphasis the visuals so much that the actual product is nearly forgotten and overshadowed.
Despite the flaws of the aforementioned tactics, neither come close to the sins committed by ‘relatable’ advertisements. You have probably seen plenty of ‘relatable’ advertisements. They are the new, trendy fad. To clarify, when I use the term ‘relatable’ in quotations I’m not referring to commercials that present certain scenarios with the intention of the audience saying: “Wow, that happens to me all the time, this product will solve this problem of mine.” What I’m referring to are commercials that often break the fourth wall, pretend to really understand the viewer, and self-deprecate in an attempt to come across as real and authentic.
A common scheme of these commercials is to acknowledge the skip button. They will say things like: “You might not want to skip this,” or “Wait, before you press that skip button.” If I am ever presented with the skip button I am going to use it. Breaking the fourth wall is not edgy, it’s just a reminder to the viewer that they can watch their video or show faster. Other times when these ads break the fourth wall it is to call out the viewer. “Hey, the soap you use sucks,” or “Hey you, stop watching your lame show and come on over to __.” An adequate response is to become defensive. If an advertisement’s goal is to sell products, why would they want to make their audience turtle up? Ads used to raise awareness for cancer and other diseases sometimes look at the screen and say things like “You can’t win,” or “We will stop you.” Later the viewer finds out that the ad is referring to the disease they are fighting but at first the commercial is so vague it seems like they are preparing to go to war against the viewer themselves.
Ads that pretend to really understand the viewer conjure peak cringe. I once got an ad for some car that started off with an actor saying: “I know you really want to skip this ad right now. And frankly, so do I.” I don’t know what these creators deal is with the skip button but it’s disturbing. With the amount of mistrust the common man has with corporations, the worst choice by them is to pretend to be just like regular people. If I see an ad with Cardi B doing ‘normal’ stuff I’m not going to believe a second of it. She lives in a palace made of gold, why should I ever believe that she has poor Wi-Fi?
The final sin of ‘relatable’ ads is their constant self-deprecation. When I was moving into college my first semester I got an ad for dorm room furnishings. The ad was alright until the end where the host/main actor looked to the camera and said: “Feel free to visit our website and spice up your dorm room today…or not. You don’t have to.” Commercials that self-deprecate come across as unprofessional and incompetent. No one wants to purchase a product from a business that doesn’t seem legit, just as no one would order from a restaurant whose whole gimmick is to be unappetizing. Additionally, these ads seem to be trying to guilt trip the audience into wanting to buy their product. They present themselves as being so pathetic that you feel obligated to help them. But here’s the problem, I feel obligated to help a crying child or to spot a dude at the gym. I do not however feel obligated to help a nebulous, faceless company who wants my money.
