The Cuauhtémoc brewery was established in Monterrey Mexico in 1890 by a handful of Mexicans who knew how to brew a good beer. It showed in 1893 when their beer Carta Blanca brand won first place in the Chicago and Paris World Fair. Since then they have brewed several different kinds of beer, one of their most famous brands in the states is Dos Equis. The lager was first brewed in 1897 by the German Wilhelm Hasse to commemorate the coming of the new century; the brand was named “Silgo XX” or “20th century”. The bottle has ever since been marked with their signature “XX”. The lager boasts 2 great qualities, having either a 4.45 or 4.7 percent alcohol, and an amazing advertising program.
Here is one of their most popular commercials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J8oJ0oEN70
This commercial shows the most interesting man in the world doing many different things. It tries to show him as the most interesting all around. He is portrayed as a great man. Everyone clearly loves him in all different settings. In the first setting, the most interesting man is outside. There are women and animals all around intrigued by him. The women can’t take their eyes off him. They appear to be interested in what he is saying, and sexually attracted to him. This scene appears in a sepia color. The next scene appears in black and white. The most interesting man is still the center of attention and it shows him as a courageous man. The third scene is in normal color. He is again the center of attention. He appears to be at someone else's wedding and everyone is lifting him up in a chair. He is the life of the party, he is the most interesting man. Everyone is laughing and happy to be around him. The fourth scene shows him at home cooking when a mountain lion jumps onto the counter. He simply tells the lion to get down like you would tell any house cat. The lion listens to his command. Then the final scene with the advertisement for Dos Equis, the most interesting man has the drink in front of him. There are also two women next to him who can not resist him. Like the first scene, they can’t take their eyes off of him and also appear to be sexually attracted. The final line in the commercial is him saying he prefers Dos Equis.
Many companies use celebrities in their advertisements to appeal to their consumer audience, however, Dos Equis uses a different approach. Instead of casting a popular well known icon, this company uses Jonathan Goldsmith as the main subject of their commercials. Goldsmith’s acting career was centered on his appearance in Westerns throughout the late 70s and early 80s. This being said, his most famous role was in the 1976 movie The Shootist in which he was a villain shot by the iconic hero John Wayne. He never reached a high level of celebrity stardom and is not famous by name. He is famous, however, under the title “The most interesting man in the world”. This character is portrayed as a scruffy, strong, “manly” person. He has a very deep and raspy voice that makes him fit even more into the stereotypes of the ultimate “man”. This commercial tries to appeal to men by using the image of “The most interesting man in the world” to make men want to drink Dos Equis to be like him.
- What are your thoughts on a company essentially creating a celebrity connected to their brand name, for example “The most interesting man in the world” or “Flo” from the Progressive commercials?
- Is this more or less effective than using a celebrity from pop-culture?
- Are the stereotypes used in this commercial affective in creating the ultimate “man”? or do they fail to convey this?
I thought this commercial was really funny/interesting actually. I thought it was funny that this was the guy who was from a meme. Considering I don't know who this celebrity is I wouldn't be more inclined to buy this product. If it was a celebrity that I was actually aware of I would be more interested in the product. I like "Flo" from Progressive, I think it's really funny and adds more to the brand.
ReplyDeleteI think its unique when companies "create" a celebrity for their brand name because they aren't going doing the norm of trying to attract an audience using someone famous. I think it's a good idea that they create their own celebrity because it makes the advertisement different and more interesting. Personally, having a celebrity be a spokesperson doesn't make me more inclined to buy a product or not. I buy a product because it's something I want, not because of the advertisement. Having companies do their own things makes them stick out and have people remember their company.
ReplyDeleteI think it makes more sense for a company or brand to have their own created character because it instantly makes you think of that company when seeing that person. I think it's more effective to use a celebrity, but I find the commercials better when I see a face that I don't recognize unless it is associated with a commercial, just like in the Dos Equis commercials. I don't think they're aimed towards creating the ultimate man, but rather a well rounded man who is good at everything. The commercials are able to capture the attention of the viewers long enough to get their product across, and the fact that they are funny make them even better.
ReplyDeleteI think when the companies creating their own celebrity works out to be much more successful than when companies use celebrities from pop-culture because there are no positive/negative things to compare the person to besides the things that are given out in the commercial itself. The stereotypes seem to work, but I would personally prefer a younger model, so obviously this commercial is geared towards the older population. Therefore, the ultimate “man” may be correct because even though “the most interesting man in the world” is aged he is still just as attractive as when he was younger, according to the women in the commercial.
ReplyDeleteI would go along with what has been said already and add that the idea of having a celebrity specifically "made" for your commercial makes the company stand out amongst others. Who else can say they did that? As for the stereotypes portrayed, he does a great job of playing the part. A younger role would not fit because the "most interesting man" has to have seen and done everything. Therefore, he would have to be a bit older. The popularity of the commercials is high and the character is also being used elsewhere for social networking.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comments. By creating their own celebrity, companies can control the persona they want the celebrity to have. While the character has no starting fame or backstory, the company has the freedom to create a fresh new character that will literally epitomize what their company stands for or how they want their company to be portrayed. I think ultimately this is more effective because the persona will forever be connected with the brand and won't be associated with anything else. In the commercial, the persona fits it well. He is manly, and honestly seems interesting to be around. They did a great job and I think their marketing technique worked in their favor.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I think if a brand can create some kind of face to remember their brand better they are doing something right. It could easily be a simple celebrity, but that celebrity could change everytime. I really like what Dos Equis has done by creating their own celebrity. Everyone knows who the most interesting man in the world is and I think it sells their product quite well. In my opinion Jonathon Goldsmith fits the stereotype very well, his full gray beard and deep raspy voice portray a "man" well. He is the perfect fit for what Dos Equis has tried to create and I believe Dos Equis should continue doing what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteDos Equis' most interesting man commercials have become very popular, as the have inspired a popular internet meme that satirizes the most interesting man in the world. I myself find the commercials pretty entertaining. I believe that's the most important thing for companies to do. Getting their name out there and into the heads of consumers will sell more than simply describing the product. Attaching a character to a brand helps even more. As the character becomes more popular, so does the brand, as the two are strongly connected. In terms of celebrities vs. made up characters, I believe it depends on the situation. If a celebrity is simply making a cameo in a commercial, it might not help. However, when a celebrity is a continuous part of a company's advertising campaign, results can then be seen. It all goes back to the fact of building a strong connection between an idea/character/celebrity and the brand and then the idea/character/celebrity becoming popular, making the brand more popular. In terms of how the most interesting man is portrayed, I believe he does fit the profile of a manly man. While it might not be possible to actually reach his accomplishments, he can serve as an “inspiration” of sorts. In other words, if men want to be like him, they should drink Dos Equis.
ReplyDelete-Matt Ezzp
I always find these commercials entertaining, because it's always interesting what "the most interesting man in the world" has done in the past, emphasized by the black and white, or sepia tone segments. When a company "creates" a celebrity for their commercials the celerebrity seems more fictional, and in a way it allows them to have the character do whatever they want. This being more effective depends on how it is used, in the cases of "The most interesting man in the world" and Flo, it works wonderfully. There are times when doing this doesn't help with what the company is trying to get across. I believe the stereotypes are quite good at creating the "ultimate man". If I could have a pet cougar that listened to my every command like that, I sure would feel really manly. In a way the company is challenging men by saying drink Dos Equis and you could be man enough to do what "the most interesting man in the world" does, and if you don't drink Dos Equis then you aren't man enough.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting because the company tried to connect celebrity with the brand. Because he is not much famous compared with other celebrities, people had a little thoughts about him. It made it easier for the company to create his image as what they want. Now when people think of him, “the most interesting man” comes to people’s minds. It shows the commercial worked well. The purpose of commercials is to notify their products to people and the commercial succeeded it. However, there is also a big shortcoming of celebrity endorsement. If he does something wrong, the brand image will be bad. According to the act of the celebrity, the brand image is changed so companies should pick celebrity cautiously.
ReplyDeleteThese commercials are definitely convincing. I think that Dos Equis did a good job using this character to sell their beer. Unlike most commercials Dos Equis goes for coolness instead of comedy. I think that this is unique and really intrigues the younger generation.
ReplyDeleteCreating "the most interesting man in the world" is definitely better than using a celebrity from pop culture. Most commercials using celebrities only make a couple of commercials with these celebrities. By creating a spokes person they can use them as many times as they want.
The stereotypes created in this commercial are definitely over the top but I think most people like this. If they didn't then he wouldn't be the most interesting man in the whorl. He would just be an interesting guy.
I think it is more effective to make their own celebrity because then you would only associate them with the product and not other products, movies or TV shows. I think they are going for a comedy approach and not really making the ultimate man. They just want to show that you can be cool and really interesting if you drink Dos Equis.
ReplyDeleteI also, believe it is better to create a new character in commercials. Some times relating products to real celebrities leads to mixed feelings because in a way, companies are endorsing everything that celebrity has done, good or bad. By using an unknown person you can make that person whoever you want. Perception is key in a commercial and, you can control that with an unknown character. I think the commercial did convey a fun and respectable man but, i won't think thats the most interesting man in the world. However, all of the activities seen through out the video were extremely masculine. My guess would be that Carta Blanca's ideal viewer would by a man. They want them to think if they drink this beer they too can tame a mountain lion.
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