9/11 Advertising Essay

The next commercial, “Rollercoaster” was released in 2002 and delicately balances the collaboration with Universal Studios with the “feel good” moments of a typical “Priceless” ad. To give context, during this time, Universal Studios was struggling and had to deal with catastrophically low attendance. Along with that, Americans were still very affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks that had a tremendous impact on the tourism industry. Nevertheless, McCann worked hard to bring these two brands together to create a memorable ad. The price cost breakdown followed as: “Hulk t-shirts: $18. Spider-Man watch: $20. Men In Black sunglasses: $16. Hearing your dad screaming like your little sister: priceless.” By means of intertextuality, this ad manages to connect the audience with both sentimentality for their favorite characters and the familiar bonds of a family going on a weekend trip. Some semiotic elements that demonstrate these familial bonds are the screaming face of the father character and the children in joyful glee staring at the father. More so, the next ad was released in 2003, titled, “Phone.” The cost breakdown was, “Wall-to-wall carpeting, padding, nail

As mentioned earlier, the 9/11 attacks had a major impact on the tourism industry. According to Myron Floyd, studies show that the decrease in travel post-9/11, was related to “safety concerns and perceived social risk.” After 9/11, we can see the response to this attacks depicted in various elements within the content of the ad spots. For example, “Rollercoaster” encouraged families to head to their nearest theme park and insinuated that it is okay to go outside and have fun. On the flipside, MasterCard also offered ad spots in which catered to those who did not want to travel. Commercials, such as the “Phone” spot, showed audiences that MasterCard is there for you, even in the intimate