Culture & Design

The recent ad campaign that I selected is Nissan: Sports Illustrated, Model vs. Model, “Aerodynamics”. This campaign is a series of four ads, all of which follow the same theme and are equally as entertaining and memorable as the one before. I selected “Aerodynamics” because out of the four I found it the most humorous and unforgettable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saoMA39lh3U&feature=player_embedded

Target Market:

The Target market for this ad first and foremost is men ranging from ages 16 to 35 that reside in suburban and urban areas. The reason for this is because they are using sex and humor to sell the product. It is a double ad as it is promoting both the Nissan Juke and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Magazine. SI Swimsuit is targeted directly to male sports fan that already own a subscription to Sports Illustrated. The Nissan Juke is modern looking 4 door mix of between a coupe and crossover marketed towards teenage to early twenty males as well as young families that want a small fuel efficient ride with a cool sporty look.

Cultural Themes:

The theme that is reoccurring in television advertisements is sex and laughter. This ad in particular uses a sort of awkward humor that really surprises the viewer but really makes then laugh. The ad also primarily attracts the viewer with sex by displaying the gorgeous swimsuit model. This has always been a strong cultural theme in commercials as it plays with men’s sexual wants with its comparison between sex and cars. The Nissan Juke is portrayed as being just as sexy as the model but it’s done in humorous way.

Overall Observations:

I love this campaign in part to the fact that not only am I in the target market, but it made me laugh. The part where the Nissan rep was explained that any disruption to the wind test would result in them being there all day, the first thing that comes to your mind as a male is “disrupt the test”. The fact that the actor playing this role does this in such a funny way with his expressions makes the commercial. There is also strategic placement of the actors in this ad. The engineers performing the tests are probably in there 40’s, as the main actor is more so in the target market age group because at a certain age the Juke is too modern and young looking.

My Design Process

I start my process of Design by collecting as much research as necessary. This usually consists of surfing the web in order to understand the assignment and generate ideas. I then move onto drawing some roughs and getting my best ideas down, this also includes trial and error digitally. After trying these steps I pick what my best design idea is and go forward with it. This is the part of my design process that takes the most time trying to work out kinks as well as make everything look good.

When I get stuck on a design piece I take many different roads in order to figure it out. I look towards my classmates for their opinions as I value what they think because we are in the same boat. I sometimes take a step away, clear my mind and maybe work on another project. Mainly I do whatever it takes to clear my mind and develop new and fresh inspiration whether it is from media, friends, family, or just everyday living. If a problem occurs near to the deadline of an assignment I try my best to push through it. Usually your first idea is your best idea so as long as you stick to it, you can make it through.

My Media Usage

Other refers to my part time job. There is satellite radio playing all shift as well as TV in the Bar. On top of that I use a computer system to enter all the the orders I take from customers.