Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #2

Subway $5 Foot Long Commercial

http://youtu.be/Lo-pfZjEK-U

• Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why? Subway restaurant created it to promote a better value on their foot long sandwiches.
• Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What 
• words, images or sounds suggest this? The target audience based on the commercial seems to be a variety of people all approximately aged 18-38 in good shape who are passionate about Subway and saving money.  In the commercial there are a variety of people, not very different looking, but with very different interests although they all are very exciting about the $5 foot long.  The song is very catchy!
• What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, 
• photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.) Interesting backgrounds such as a beautiful woman dressed as Cleopatra in Egypt, a man winning on a game show, a figure skating couple perhaps in the Olympics and a man giving a passionate performance on a stage.  Then there are shots of large sandwiches with lots of toppings being thrown on them.  A very repetitive, fun and catchy song is playing in the background
• What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?) A five dollar foot long will cheer you up and is for people who are passionate about life.
• What kind of lifestyle is presented? Fun loving, exciting, exotic and passionate lifestyles.
• What values are expressed? Money saving, being a person who follows their dream (American dream), being a happy person.
• What “tools of persuasion” are used? Association, Bandwagon and Repetition
• What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented? Happy people, exciting settings are positive.  Negative messages might be a culture bias by use of Cleopatra and an Asian figure skater.
• What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does 
• this serve the media maker's interests? This message empowers the fun loving and full of energy active person.  This message may disempower those who are over weight because there is no one overweight in the commercial.
• What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the 
• untold stories? The fine print says this offer excludes premium subs but the song and speaker say over and over again that this deal is for any sub.
• What are the taken for granted realities? That a $5 foot long sandwich may still not be affordable for some people or their families.
• What power relations are exposed as a result of your deconstruction? The power of the advertiser to continually make a claim multiple times in an advertisement then add very small print to discredit that claim.  And the power of the advertiser to chose to have beautiful and talented people represent their product even if that is not how their target market really looks.