Deconstruction of a Print Ad

 

 

I really enjoy GEICO advertisements.  GEICO uses characters that are part of our collective consciousness, like cavemen or the pig that went “wee”  all the way home, to get our attention, make us think superficially and make us laugh.  The humor and attention grabbing themes get the viewer interested in the story line of the advertisement.  The story lines make you think a little, but not too much because the advertisers want to reach as many people as possible.  So by grabbing the viewers’ attention, making them think a little and then making them laugh; the viewer will have GEICO burned in his/her memory.

            In the advertisement that I am deconstructing, GEICO does not use a character from our imagination.  The attention is on Baltimore Raven linebacker Ray Lewis doing his signature pregame dance.  I see 2 extremes of masculinity when I look at this print ad.  On one hand, I see virile and rapturous ecstasy exuding high positive energy.  However, I also see a primal, violent and dangerous man getting ready for war.  I don’t think that the advertisers created the ad to be thought about too deeply.  It is very clear that this is a man that is over-excited about impending violent competition.

            The next thing I notice is that the image is framed by red curtains.  This make me think of 2 things.  First thought, this is a theatrical put-on.  Also, the red curtains are screaming for blood.  The background is 2 beat up cars in a serious collision.  The big letters read, “People that switch to GEICO sure are happy.  How happy are they?  Happier than a linebacker at a demolition derby.”  As a sports fan, I find this very funny.

            The humor is lightly thought provoking.  If you look at the 2 main images for the first time, football and demolition derby, you wonder the connection.  The captions clarify the message. This advertisement makes a number of assumptions, most are ridiculous. If a man likes heavy contact in one arena, he enjoys heavy contact in all other arenas.  If you like football, then you like demolition derby.  This ad is bizarre in a funny way.  This assumption has a definite logic, yet it is somewhat ridiculous.  I will use myself as an example.  I love to watch football, but I do not watch demolition derby.  This may be a regional thing, but I do not know anybody that watches demolition derby.   On the other hand, all my male friends watch football. 

Are there other stereotypical assumptions?  My first impression of the image was, what is the connection between Ray Lewis and demolition derby?  It made me think a little.  Does Ray Lewis really enjoy demolition derby?  My stereotypical answer is probably not.  I don’t think that demolition derby’s fan base is African American.  I’ve never seen the statistics, but that is another clichéd assumption.  Another question is, would this ad appeal to women.  I can’t be sure, but probably not unless she is a football fan.  Maybe a woman will look at the image and say to herself, “Isn’t that clever?”  I still believe the target audience to be male football fans.

            I was thinking about the possible consequences of the messages.  I was thinking about other assumptions from these images.  It is very manly to like violence.  Violence is blissful.  Living on the edge is exhilarating.   I can see that in a different situation this would be a destructive message.  But in this particular advertisement, the message of man being innately violent is an obvious joke to bring attention to the product – GEICO insurance.  Another underlying story line is that the cars in the demolition derby definitely need car insurance – preferably GEICO.  This advertisement would be destructive to society if it motivated male viewers to go out and commit violent acts in order to prove their manhood.  But I don’t think that would be a normal reaction to this advertisement.  I think most men would react to this ad with a laugh.  If the message has any seriousness to its message of masculinity, it is that real men switch to GEICO.