This TV advertisement aired on ESPN channel and it caught my attention because of its duration. A male person on the foreground who introduced himself as Judakis held a pair of shoe in his hands above his head. The shoe had Reebok trademark and it’s an Allen Iverson (AI) brand. Judakis was rapping in praise of the shoe. On the background is another man introduced as Allen Iverson who was wearing products bearing Reebok trademark symbol dribbling a basketball in different directions. The ad was shot in black and white.

From this commercial, the following inferences can be drawn: that the Judakis and Allen Iverson endorse Reebok products. The evidence is that the products they were wearing or sports gear had Reebok trademark symbol.  That Allen Iverson can play basketball and Judakis is a rap musician. The Reebok products are the best.

From the inferences, hidden assumptions can be derived:
·    The Reebok shoes are comfortable.
·     You can be an NBA star like Iverson
·    Reebok shoe or products made him a basketball player
·    It can get you to the NBA when using Reebok products
·    You can rap like Judakis when you’re involved with Reebok
·    Judakis is releasing a new record featuring Allen Iverson
·    Basketball or sports in general go hand in hand with rap music
·    Rap music and Reebok products improve your basketball skills

It is quite hard to grasp the concept of the ad with the rapper spilling numerous words or slang per second. Because you don’t understand or get most of the things he’s talking about. Is it a manipulation of words or just showing his rap kills? I wonder. The only way I can guess the message is by observing the actors or endorsers wearing the product and dribbling basketball and a marquee strolls at the end with the abbreviation AI RBK (AI for Allen Iverson brand of Reebok shoes); and Rebook trademark symbol. That it’s a basketball shoe being advertised. Which reconciled my incongruity. Also the rapper’s phrase towards the end of the commercial was “you need to get one of this to be on top of your game” is for stimulating your desire for the product.

The unwarranted assumptions you may draw from this ad is that Reebok products are durable, and high quality, because two outstanding personalities who are at top of their game in their respective fields of work are endorsing it. In addition, black and white color was used. I think it represents Reebok’s reputation of excellence and survival through several generations. Perhaps since the advertising media is taken by sophisticated ads, a low budget black and white will have a more appealing touch. People are used to color now and when it’s flipped around it draws your attention.

In some societal settings, black color represents brotherhood and unity. So may be it’s sending a message that these products can bring us together. Perhaps in a sense for a pick up basketball game enriched with the joy of music. And rap music being mainstream is good in this situation because it gives you adrenalin rush when preparing for a game and keeps you focused. White color is light. It represents the future. That the future looks bright for all Reebok product users. The ad is also targeting a young audience or group of consumers. Rap music being mainstream and young Allen Iverson acting tough; the youths associate themselves with such acts. They want to be or “live” the situation.

I actually enjoyed this experience of analyzing a TV ad. It’s amazing that one can derive many hidden assumptions from the ad. Sometimes, we are set up to infer the wrong things, or to "jump to conclusions," a set up for self-deception. Ads hardly explicitly promise happiness, success, or popularity, but will show such scenes and let the visuals imply. While older children and adults understand the inherent bias of advertising, younger children do not, and therefore tend to interpret commercial claims and appeals as accurate and truthful information. Because younger children do not understand persuasive intent in advertising, they are easy targets for commercial persuasion like this one. Visual images are very powerful than written words because they bypass your rational thought process (Boatright, 2003:  pg 284).

Reference:
Boatright, John R. (2003). Ethics and The Conduct of Business. Upper Saddle River:
                  Prentice Hall

ESPN Channel: Sports TV channel. Now on youtube.com