Final Report

REPORT

For our final assignment, we were required to pick an advertisement that we did not approve and dissatisfied with, reasons relating to design and culture. After picking the advertisement we dislike, we then had to re-advertise it in a way that we found more suitable. After researching and browsing various advertisements, we decided to pick the Sour Mentos Marbles ad by Mentos.  This ad was created by Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency in Mumbai, India. We chose this ad because we were shocked by the imagery used to portray the sourness of the Sour Mentos. We thought that there is a lot that could be changed from the design to make the ad suitable for the culture.

Figure 1: Sour Mentos Marbles Advertisement

Sour Mentos Marbles advertisement showcases the new sour flavors by Mentos. It is from Mumbai, India and, as shown in figure 1, uses three illustrations that depict suicidal imagery. This ad is a series of 3 different illustrations. The first one shows how a man is about to shoot and stab himself while jumping off a building. The second one shows a different man hanging himself with a bottle of cyanide and a basket with a python in each hand. Lastly, the third one shows another man who’s head is on a guillotine while holding a grenade with a train in the background that is about to hit him. From this ad, we conclude that Sour Mentos Marbles are so sour that you won’t be able to bear it and end up killing yourself.

This advertisement was made and showcased in within India in December 2012. India is a country of many distinct cultures. When it comes to food, India is very well known for its spices and spicy food. Indians are used to extreme flavors therefore a reason why this ad would be showcased in India. Other observations we made from this ad were that the main character of this ad (the man) has Indian features; the curly hair and double chin. Also, we noticed the deformed nose which we thought could be related to the Indian Gods because of the repetition of the body part. We did admire the illustration style of this advertisement.

However, we feel the exaggeration of displaying sourness in this advertisement was too extreme and negative. According to an Indian portal, ‘Indiatimes’, studies show that 2010 recorded the highest suicide rates ever in India in 5 years. Reasons for this were uncertain; therefore could the Sour Mentos Marbles ad have played a role in these high rates? It is possible considering the fact that Mentos is common around many age groups, especially young children and adolescents. When making an advertisement, the target audience is very important. From this ad, we feel as though this was not well thought of and considered.

We see a need for change in this ad because firstly, it depicts suicide and has a negative impact on its viewers. Secondly, it does not reflect the Indian culture in the right manner; a more subtle approach could be taken that still makes the ad shocking but in a more positive way. For example, it can be comical and funny with no negative imagery.

 

 Our redesigned ad will also be a series of 3 posters. We chose our concept to be Concentration, portraying the Sour Mentos Marbles as energy boosters and mood lifters. We decided to use form of advertising known as Celebrity advertising; using famous icons to sell a product. When people see their idols in an advertisement, they get a sense that if they use the same product, they may become just like them, therefore making the product more marketable. The three icons we used are Shahrukh Khan who is an actor, Sachin Tendulkar who is a cricket player, and Priyanka Chopra, a former Miss World and actress. They are easily recognized by local people all around India.

 

Figure 2: Priyanka Chopra

Figure 3: Sharukh Khan

Figure 4: Sachin Tendulkar

The illustration style we chose to use is Caricature. The initial Sour Mentos ad we chose had elements of exaggeration. We wanted to keep that therefore chose Caricature because it is comical and exaggerated with its emotions. We wanted to make sure we showed the three different emotions clearly; tired, sour face and happy face. Our storyline for this is that the three characters are feeling tired and exhausted with no energy. They then take the Sour Mentos Marbles and have an instant reaction. Suddenly they’re hit with a burst of energy and joy. The concept of concentration is displayed through the change in emotion, posture and facial expressions of the characters. For our ad, we used an Indian inspired font named Samarkan shown in figure 5. Figure 6 shows the original Indian writing known as Devanāgarī.

 

Figure 5: Samarkan Font

Figure 6: Original Indian writing called Devanāgarī

Bibliography

·      Adsora. 2011. Mentos Marbles Sour ads. [Online] Available at: <http://www.adsora.com/food/mentos-marbles-sour-ads> [Accessed: 1 June 2013].

·       BusinessDictionary. celebrity advertising. [Online]. Available at: <http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/celebrity-advertising.html> [Accessed: 21 June 13].

·       Dr. Sigdell, J. E. The Christ Mantra. [Online]. Available at: <http://www.christian-reincarnation.com/ChristMantra.htm> [Accessed: 30 June 13].

·      IMDb. Most Popular People Born In "India". [Online] Available at: <http://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_place=India> [Accessed: 21 June 2013].

·      The Times Of India. 2011. 2010 records highest suicide rate in 5 years. [Online] Available at: <http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-19/goa/29145817_1_suicide-cases-drastic-step-lives-last-year> [Accessed: 12 June 2013].

Picture Credits

Figure 1: Adsora. 2011. Mentos Marbles Sour ads. [Online] Available at: <http://www.adsora.com/food/mentos-marbles-sour-ads> [Accessed: 1 June 2013].

Figure 2: Indiasite. Priyanka Chopra Biography. [Online] Available at: <http://www.indiasite.com/Personalities/Priyanka-Chopra> [Accessed: 21 June 2013].

Figure 3: Mediapara. 2012. SHAH RUKH KHAN IS HONORED. [Online] Available at: <http://www.mediapara.com/shah-rukh-khan-is-honored/> [Accessed: 21 June 2013].

Figure 4: India Today. 2012. Ranji Trophy: Sachin Tendulkar hits a ton. [Online] Available at: <http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ranji-trophy-sachin-tendulkar-scores-a-hundred/1/227366.html> [Accessed: 21 June 2013].

Figure 5: DownloadAtoZ. Samarkan, Oblique Fonts. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://font.downloadatoz.com/font,12043,samarkan-oblique.html> [Accessed: 21 June 13].

Figure 6: Dr. Sigdell, J. E. The Christ Mantra. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.christian-reincarnation.com/ChristMantra.htm> [Accessed: 30 June 13].