Visual Review Commercial, OxiClean!
I chose to analyze a commercial with the actor Billy Mays. Mays was a American television direct response advertisement salesman who is better known for the OxiClean commercials! We can remove any stain! In this specific commercial, Mays is extremely enticing, which he portrays in all of his film roles. His goal is to show you(and ultimately sell you) OxiClean, and show you the powers it unleashes – making the tough stains disappear without fading or bleeding colors. OxiClean, which Mays ultimately sells the buyer on, is a product that can remove any stain! Mays convinces you, via his enthusiasm, that the product is life changing.
The commercial begins with a still shot for the first two seconds of the Oxiclean logo with the word “It’s” above the logo, and “amazing” below the OxiClean logo, while Mays says in the background “it’s amazing!”. So much emphasis, power, and thought – all within the first two seconds.
It then shifts to him in a kitchen of a still mid shot of him panning in to the right walking, eventually being centered with the OxiClean products in the middle of the table. Almost immediately after he says three words, it shifts to an extreme close up of the products that were originally in the middle of the table, the glass bowl. While the emphasis is on the bowl, he drops the formula into the bowl and the oxygen rises up, “the power of oxygen! It makes tough stains disappear with fading or bleaching the colors! Getting rid of the stain and the odor!”. The commercial then shifts back to Mays, at the counter, but now at a different angle. Now, it has focused on a mid wide shot of Billy now with pants on the table, and the different cleaning materials spread out on each side, placing primary emphasis on the jeans, secondary emphasis on the cleaning products to the left and the right of the jeans, and another primary emphasis on the speaker centered directly behind the jeans. He then shifts to a regular shot of him with a baby’s shirt. Two seconds later, he shifts to a close up shot of a pair of a baby’s shirt, with writing in the corner saying “Safe for baby items”. This, indirectly (subconsciously and consciously) gives the viewer a different look on the safety of the product.
I believe the main targeted consumer is people who stay at home who most likely have kids, so adapting to this market even further is essential. Mays is covering all bases. He then shifts to a rabbit plush toy, and does the same thing, this time, he says “the things that you love”.
Analyzing this further, the rabbit is white, and the stain is red, while he says, “the things that you love”. This, subconsciously, gives the viewer a thought that you are protecting your children. Nothing is more important than that. After the rabbit, the frame moves to a shift down shifting directly into him in the laundry room, adding in a scoop of OxiClean. It the shifts back to the orginal shot, of him in the kitchen, and him saying “Don’t just clean it, OxiClean it!” Throughout the entire commercial, the OXICLEAN logo is palced directly in the bottom left of the screen. Great commercial, very enticing.
Link: Analyzing this further, the rabbit is white, and the stain is red, while he says, “the things that you love”. This, subconsciously, gives the viewer a thought that you are protecting your children. Nothing is more important than that. After the rabbit, the frame moves to a shift down shifting directly into him in the laundry room, adding in a scoop of OxiClean. It the shifts back to the orginal shot, of him in the kitchen, and him saying “Don’t just clean it, OxiClean it!” Throughout the entire commercial, the OXICLEAN logo is palced directly in the bottom left of the screen. Great commercial, very enticing.