Rated E for Everyone!

I have been taking note of a lot of commercials lately. The commercials I have noticed most these past few weeks are the Nintendo DS commercials. They are simple yet profound. Nintendo has used celebrities like Nicole Kidman, America Ferrera, Liv Tyler, and Carrie Underwood to promote their product. I think this is pretty strategic because each celebrity reaches a different demographic or audience. The commercials are simple because they just show "candid" moments of fun with Nintendo DS. The commercial ends with the featured celebrity saying the name of the game featured and "only on Nintendo DS."



As I thought about these commericals I wondered what made them so intersting. I found that the appealing aspects were not only the celebrity endorcement but a peek into the private, "normal" lives of the famous. I think these commercials were effective because they appeal to the emotions of the viewers. People are always wondering about the personal lives of the rich and famous that's why tabloids are still in check out lines. Nintendo definitely did a great job at showing how even celebrities can have fun with a "simple" high-tech toy.



This could be a fun lesson in the classroom about celebrity endorsements. The teacher could teach the class about how companies will sometimes use famous actors or singers to sell their products. The teacher could ask the class to name the celebrities they have recently seen in commercials. After the lesson, the teacher could have each student invent a product and then assign a celebrity to sell it. The student would have to tell how the celebrity would sell it (i.e. show them using it, show post use, have them hold it, etc). The students could aslo analyze commericals that the teacher has found. The class could discuss how the commercial is effective and what makes people want to buy the product.