Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #2

Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why? 

The message was created by Doritos which is owned by the Frito-Lays corporation.  The message was created for the general public to encourage people to buy Doritos.

Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What 
words, images or sounds suggest this? 

The audience is anyone who is thinking about buying a snack food.  However, with the nature of the commercial it more geared toward younger adults or teenagers.  The over the top use of the goat, the loud and fast moving pace of the commercial would draw in younger viewers.

What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, 
photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.) 

The text is that a man sees a goat for sale who eats Doritos and is eating them at the same time.  He then buys the goat and realizes why the goat was for sale.  The goat will not stop eating the Doritos and loudly munches them all day and night in his apartment.  There are hundreds of images of the Doritos bags all over the place which make the commercial impossible to mistake for another snack food.  There is a very recognizable song playing throughout the ad. 

What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?) 

The hidden message is that these chips are so good, you won't want to stop eating them, and that you should buy as many as you can because if you don't you will feel just like the goat when he finally runs out of the chips. 

What kind of lifestyle is presented? 

It was a carefree lifestyle where a person can buy a goat to live with him in his apartment.  One in which having Doritos can make your life better, until you buy a goat that is obsessed with eating them.  It was trying to make you believe that you cannot live without Doritos and you need to have them with you all the time. 

What values are expressed? 

This commercial does not get to a lot of core values.  It is designed to be humorous almost whimsical.  I imagine however that many animal activists would have been upset with this commercial as it depicts feeding an animal something that is obviously not good for them to eat.  It would also speak to pet lovers who would have problems with people simply selling pets that they no longer want to care for, which continues to make problems in over crowded animal shelters.

What “tools of persuasion” are used? 

The ad uses visual overload of the Dorito 's image, it uses humor, association with the normal guys in the commercial and how the first man selling the goat became injured. 

What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented? 

The positive images are that Doritos are a wonderful product and taste amazing.  The negative images are that goats are dangerous animals and should not be kept in an apartment.  It is also negative that someone would sell a pet and not fulfill the obligation to take care of it.  That is a bit of a stretch but many animal lovers would see that as a problem.

What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does 
this serve the media maker's interests? 
I don't believe this ad empowers anyone or disempowers anyone.  The idea was to get people to laugh and then draw attention to the product being sold so that they create a positive thought when people see the Doritos bag.  It has worked with me as I think about Doritos commercials each and every time I look at their bags in the store.  Another classic ad is when the man has the cheese on his fingers from the chips and the man next to him reaches over and puts the mans fingers in his mouth and licks off the cheese.  Although completely disgusting I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.

What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the 
untold stories?

It does not mention that Doritos is priced much higher than many other brands of chips, it does not discuss nutritional value or what goes into making the product.  Since this ad is more geared toward college/high school aged people it is not the biggest concern.  However, for mothers who shop for snack foods it most certainly is important.  You could probably find the information about how they are mad and nutritional value on the Dorito's website, however for pricing you would have to comparison shop at grocery stores or on the Internet to see a wide variation in pricing.

What are the taken for granted realities?

Most people will not purchase the amount of Doritos that this man purchased.  This who concept is built on a whimsical idea so most of this is not based in reality for people. 

What power relations are exposed as a result of your deconstruction?

The biggest relation I see is that Dorito wants you to buy their product over any other snack food.  It is obvious they think their product is so good that everyone and every animal would love them.  They want you to buy as much as you can and keep as many as you can because you should never be without them.  They are trying to persuade you that you must buy the Doritos because bad things can happen if you don't have enough.