Mountain Dew Advertisements

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest days for advertising whether it’s for a brand new product, one being revived, or just one trying to continuously get their brand name out there. The numbers of viewers each year grow and grow along with the pricing of ads. This year it cost a whopping $5 million for just a thirty-second ad. A majority of companies this year stayed clear from sex appeal and controversial topics while a lot of companies used humor and history. One commercial that I think a majority can agree was humorous and lighthearted, was the Doritos vs. Mountain Dew advertisement. This was rightfully one of the top rated commercials by a numerous amount of people. Throughout this paper I will discuss the success and critiques of this

This immediately turns on the fireplace behind him and sets the mood. As he takes the first bite of the chip, he breaks into the popular song, “Look at Me Now” by Chris Brown featuring Busta Rhymes. He continues to walk through the Victorian-esque sitting room, everything he walks by turning to flames. He has the magic touch of fire. As the song comes to a close, Dinklage is now breathing the fire out of his mouth as if it’s coming from the flaming chips he’s just consumed. Then comes in the second half of the entertainment. As the ad is switching from Doritos Blaze, it’s time to bring the ice. First you see the notorious Morgan Freeman cracking open a Mountain Dew Ice bottle in an iced over. As he continues to walk through the sitting room, everything is turning to ice behind him. Singing Missy Elliot’s “Get Your Freak On”, Freeman is the ice king. He has now frosted over fruits, furniture, and even his own hair. Meeting halfway, one in the hot room and one in the cold, the two celebrities come together each with their products in hand breathing on each other with each sensation; fire and ice. The advertisement ends in a great way of showing each

EliteDaily.com says that according to PepsiCo’s release, “this will be the first nationally televised Super Bowl commercial that features one company marketing two of their brands at the same time.” That is huge for not only the snack food industry but also the public relations. This definitely set the bar high for other companies to surpass. Amongst all the other creative elements that made this ad successful, following Freytag’s Pyramid helped. The creators of this advertisement followed the pyramid pretty accurately. At the beginning was an inciting moment, followed by rising action when Dinklage was rapping a Busta Rhymes song. Next was the turning point as the gears got shifted to Freeman and the second product involved continuing with the falling action, and last but not least the moment of release where the two end on camera together. With all these elements involved in one commercial, it makes it easier for the audience to follow along and find the humor in it while getting their full attention. There have been many Super Bowl ads in the past that have been effective because of following this