Pepsi's Paradoxical American Dream

Many Americans gather and tune into their televisions to take part of an annual tradition that’s decides who takes home the football championship- the Super Bowl. This television program annually commands the attention of the entire nation and captures an audience larger than any other television program throughout the year. The game has become more than just an annual sports event, but a well anticipated American tradition that initiates a sense of gathering. Advertisers are aware of the monumental impact that the Super Bowl has over consumers. As the result, they spend a respectable amount of time strategically planning in order to create content to capture the attention, and manipulate the audience that they intend on having

As a collective group Americans demand a certain level of equality and decency between the distribution of justice, yet covertly yearn to surpass the means of the rest of the majority. Within the Pepsi commercial an essence of patriotism and collectiveness is being exploited. In the beginning of the video, Pepsi demonstrates various pieces of footage of public figures and other individuals rising above the crowd and excelling beyond the mediocrity of the majority. However, by the near end of the commercial we are shown the amount of people within the clips growing larger in size. Solomon states within his article, “Even as America’s great myth of equality celebrates the virtues of mom, apple pie, and the girl or boy next door, it also lures us to achieve social distinction, to rise above the crowd and bask alone in the glory” (Solomon 167) Pepsi progresses in the size of each group in ascending order, from the small group of people dancing on a beach like setting (Pepsi 0:44) to the larger group of people at a musical concert waving an American flag (Pepsi 0:51). These clips express American collectiveness and patriotism of Americans coming together as a unified group. Pepsi advertisers are aware of the fact that American patriotism will undoubtedly sell to Americans as the result of our history and desire for unification. The concept of advertisers exploiting the

Many of the points expressed within both articles are seen apparent within the Pepsi commercial. The Pepsi advertisers use the knowledge and the understanding that they have on consumer behavior to intrude on the subconscious emotions of the consumers’ rather than selling their products based on facts and conscious judgments. Consumers are often under the misconception that the Super Bowl commercials are harmless and are simply crafted for their pure entertainment. However, the Pepsi advertisers took advantage of the audience that were available during the Super Bowl event and implemented a strong sense of individualism, rebellion, and American Dream within their commercial delusion to coerce their audience into buying their product. Pepsi’s commercial expresses that conformity is no longer an accurate strategy for manipulating people into consuming, but enforcing an essence of false individualism is what will provoke people to participate in order to seek their own