http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W3kP6jaTXk
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Best Buy- Outdated World Commercial
This commercial shows how quickly technology is advancing. We don't have time to get used to something because a new one is already on the market. The guy getting the tv slaps himself in the face which gives the idea that new technology is a "slap in the face" because society can't keep up with technological advances. They run out of words to describe the new items because everything seems to be "new" nowadays. It was smart for Best Buy to come out with this program of buying back old products. This helps people not feel so bad about buying new things because they can still get some money for the old ones. Technology goes along with wealth too in this aspect. The wealthier people are able to keep up with the rapidly advancing technologies where as the people with a tighter budget find it wasteful to keep buying new products.
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Lauren Maust says:
ReplyDeleteI agree that the idea of buying back old products is a very smart idea. It definitely takes some of the burden out of buying the new technologies when you get a little bit of money back from the old ones. I think that technology is directly linked to wealth, especially a few years ago. It seemed that only people who were wealthy were able to afford the first iPhones or iPads or even just the first laptops. I think that as time has gone on though, this has changed and these new technologies have become much more accessible to the average person. Something I found really interesting in the commercial was that it started with showing many different newscasts talking about the latest new technology. I found this interesting because over time, news media has changed so much. It used to be used to inform us of important issues such as crime in our communities but time on the news seems to be more devoted to discussing the latest trends or reporting on the latest ridiculous study that was done.
I totally agree. The technology is moving so extremely fast, and it's almost impossible to keep up. I find it has gotten hard even for us kids to know how to use all technology, let alone our parents. Apple releases their iphone, and then there are rumors right off the bat about their next generation phone. It is true that the media seems to care more about the latest "fashion" in technologies. It makes our country look really superficial and a joke. We need real news not the newest trend...
ReplyDeleteChristina Patterson says:
ReplyDeleteThis advertisement is very clever...
The reason for that is if we were to look at another ad such as the Old Spice commercial (for example) what thought rises after watching the ad? This ad's sole purpose is to attack the audience in a creative way to hint (to most likely the male audience) that that you are not a man until you try “Old Spice” and is basically challenging the ego of the average man, forcing the want into giving in and purchasing the product.
But in this case with the Best Buy ad, that general audience attack doesn't go that route. Instead of the “If you can't beat them, join them” psychological play, it gives the audience a boost of feeling to know they are not alone with not having the ability of technological advancements. The commercial is basically a healing message to inform that they [being Best Buy] are able to buy back a customers product so the person can advance to the next level in reaching that latest product they've been eyeballing. In the same sense where Old Spice's manly ego is being challenged, the American ego [in the ability to buy and update] is being challenged [in this commercial] as far as technology is being concerned. Also instead of bashing the audience this is an informative way to make the audience comfortable and has a positive message so they know there's hope in joining the world consumed by technology.
The other thing that these tech companies like Apple do is they selectively release their technology. When the iPod touch first came out, the earlier generations did not have the same cameras as the 4th generation does, however, shipments of iPod touch cases with the camera slots were accidentally shipped with the early generations to a Best Buy in my hometown. This implies that Apple had the technology when they first released the iPod Touch to have the front and rear camera. All companies do this kind of selective release of technology even though the technology they are holding back is ready for the consumer. This only accelerates the feeling of being on par with popular technology one minute and being behind the curve the next.
ReplyDeleteI think the observations that Morgan and Lauren made about wealth being a factor with technology were interesting. I never would have automatically come to that conclusion, but I believe that it is certainly true. I remember I had a friend, that would be considered wealthy, that would always be getting the newest thing and I was jealous that I was never able to keep up. And although technology has undoubtedly become more accessible to the average person, it is still linked to wealth. Best Buy seems to be trying to appeal to an audience of a more humble background.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that a company centered on technology is making fun of technology. Perhaps they are again using a tactic that makes them seem like “one of us,” instead of “one of them.”
I think that this is a very clever commercial. I agree with Matt that this commercial shows how companies withhold technology so that is seems as if they always have something new. I believe that the commercial also makes a statement on our connection to technology. The commercial, I believe rightly, depicts our generation as obsessed with technology. This can be seen by the peoples reaction to being behind technologically. It seems as if peoples entire days were ruined to know that they were not on the cutting edge of technology. One reaction that struck me was the lady in the audience of the news show who reacts, "I just bought this one!" in an exasperated tone. I believe that this could be the producer trying to convey that we are too connected to technology. Overall I think that Best Buy recognizes that our connection to technology is a little crazy, but they can help make living that way a little easier.
ReplyDeleteI almost cried when I saw that somebody posted about the Best Buy buy back program because that is what I wrote my research paper on as well. Fortunately, it was a slightly different commercial. Since I have already written an entire research paper on the subject, commenting on this should be easy. To start, I like how Best Buy depicts the everyday consumer in these commercials. We have all had moments like the ones in the commercial, and Best Buy does a good job of showing just how frustrating it can be. Then, Best Buy comes to the rescue with their buy back program, enabling people to get the newest technology every time it is released. I believe this program is a smart idea for Best Buy and a great way for an already big business to gain even more business.
ReplyDeleteI also think the Best Buy buy back program is a good idea because technology is moving too fast for everyone to keep up. However I don't agree on the fact that the rich keep up with technology because some don't bother. A lot of rich people are very stingy with their money and don't want to buy the newest Lap top or I phone. I believe it's the poor who try to keep up with the newest technology so they feel they have a better social standing in the world
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