Research Blog: Commercial Conventions

 Research: Commercial Conventions 

I am doing a Walmart Great Value water bottle commercial. In water bottle commercials, you usually see people doing sports or dance and taking a break to drink water. Or in other water bottle ads, you may see nature, water dripping, and splashing, and then the water bottle either makes its appearance by dropping in the water and making a big splash or being formed by a stream of water or water droplets.

• Actors may wear sports gear such as leggings, gym shorts, sweatpants, tank tops, sweatshirts, sports bras, sneakers, and headbands.
• They can either be playing soccer, football, volleyball, basketball, taking a hike, going for a run, at the gym working out, doing karate, or even an activity simple as yoga and meditation or a little more fast-paced as in Zumba or hip hop dancing and other types of dancing genre.
• Most actors in these commercials typically have an athletic figure and normally drink the water after they are exhausted from doing the activity in which they are participating.
• Water bottle commercials can be fast-paced in which it only slows down on the main actors or the water bottle or a slower pace in which you see the actor doing the activity and then stopping to drink water.

Conventions and Codes in water bottle commercials may include phrases such as: “Earth’s Finest Water, 100% recycle, or a 100% Natural Spring Water.” These phrases make the water seem more pleasurable to drink or that brand of water may be better than the others.

In many water commercials, the camera is moved from down below to above or above to down below. This is to show the nature, or the crystal clear waters, or to move from scene to scene or to move with the flow of water whether it be fast-paced or slower. This is to make the water commercial grab people's attention and for it to be interesting and amusing and preferably attract one’s wanting of that water bottle brand.

Water commercials sometimes include logos in which one is talking about the water in the water bottle, like how it gives a fresh taste, crystal clear, or it has many minerals, or what type of water is used before they purify, or if it’s recyclable, etc. Some water brands may show the use of ethos like in the Selena Gomez Tap Water commercial, Selena Gomez is the one acting in the commercial rather than some other actor on her or the brand’s behalf.