Super Ads for a Super Bowl

The ads you find during the most consistently watched event on television are some of the best ever made. They use a multitude of elements to entertain and draw in viewers. But the better ones always seem to have a form of narrative structure. A story is usually told within that 30 to 60 second window. While some don’t use narrative structure and come off successfully, you tend to see more of those that do.

One such ad is the Tide Miracle Stain ad. The ad goes through the story of a football fan staining his jersey with an image of one of his favorite players, attaining fame and fortune, until his wife successfully removes the stain with Tide. It targets any individual who does laundry and pays attention to football with a humorous tone. Only at the end of the story is the company behind the ad mentioned along with the words “No stain is sacred”, similar to the punchline of a joke. Within this ad the elements of a narrative structure are clear. The exposition is setup with the first scene, the man is a football fan, has a wife and a house etc.. The rising action begins with the creation of the stain, and continues with the many glories the stain provides. The crisis and climax are when the jersey is found missing, and then discovered with the stain now absent. The falling action then reveals that the wife, the culprit of the stain removal, is actually a fan of a different team with plenty of motive. This ad has a very clear narrative structure, and ultimately succeeds in both entertaining and advertising to the audience.

Another ad that uses a narrative structure, accompanied with plenty of nostalgia inducing references, is the Radio Shack Phone Call ad. It starts off with a Radio Shack employee recieving a phone call from “the 80s.” It then shows the act of multiple characters you might recognize taking the merchandise of the store in its entirety. After a look of stunned silence from the employees, a narrator mentions that “it’s time for a new radio shack,” and the screen cuts to an improved store. This time, the ad is more narrowly focused towards those who lived through the 80s. The tone is still humorous, but the narrative is shorter, and the audience smaller. But, while shorter, the narrative IS still there. The exposition, again, is set up within the first scene; a is store filled with outdated electronics, a couple of employees and no customers. The rising action begins the moment the ad does, a phone call is received and answered. The rising action then continues as various characters from the 80s storm the store. The crisis and climax occur when the store is completely emptied and non-functional, being resolved by the companies new direction, and improved stores.

Both ads use a fairly strong narrative to get their message or product across. However, the length of the Tide ad offers a stronger and more complete story. Ultimately, both ads would are very effective at grabbing and keeping attention, but the applicable audience of the Tide commercial is much more expansive. But, while each ad is different, and the Tide ad would probably circulate more due to a wider audience, they both use the power of a narrative structure.