Cheerios Commercial Essay Example

Children’s commercials have become an important attracting magnet that attracts the child enough to beg their parents to purchase the product for them. Children’s commercials use different manipulative techniques to grab the child’s attention spam enough, like using animals, children, sounds and different colors in the commercials. In the 2009, “Honey Nut Cheerios” commercial, published by Andrea Walters, there are manipulative techniques the commercial uses to grab the child’s attention. The commercial shows talking honey bees on a ship that are being chased by evil pirates on a ship for their honey, and their honey gets stolen by them in the end. The cereal box is shown to come with a “compass decoder," that is supposed to help the honey bees and children find the missing honey that was stolen. This is supposed to engage children enough to go purchase the cereal box, and help the honey bees find the missing honey This is a way of manipulating them. On a related note, Eric Schlosser’s article “Kid Kustomers,” discusses how directors of children’s commercials have researched ways for them to be able to manipulate children enough for them to beg their parents to go out and purchase it for them. In May 20th, 2009, Honey Nut Cheerios Commercial published by Andrea Walters, the commercial is arguing how if one buys this Honey Nut Cheerios box, then the child will be able to help the honey bee, Buzz, solve the mystery of the missing honey treasure using the compass decoder.

However, many viewers might think this is just another typical Honey Nut Cheerios commercial featuring the famous honey bee. Indeed, there are many Honey Nut Cheerios commercials that do include the honey bee, they don’t all include evil pirates that steal their honey. The problem with this thinking is that these viewers are missing out on how the commercial uses the evil pirate. In order for children who are viewing this commercial to be fascinated, they will want to know what the ruthless pirate will do. This means the commercial has to have something happen with the honey and the evil pirate. Andrea Walters uses the evil pirate’s example to show how he will steal the honey by quoting “Ahoy, we want to steal your luscious honey treasure.” This is suggesting to the child that the pirate will steal the honey and make the child want to keep fathoming what will happen next. Similarly, Schlosser’s article uses research that has been done behind children and what will appeal to their attention more by quoting “They study the fantasy lives of young children; they apply the findings in advertisements and product designs” (Schlosser, 4). By Schlosser using the terms “fantasy lives of young children,” it implies that in the making of this Cheerios commercial, researchers applied the fantasy of evil pirates to appeal to young children. By the fantasy of pirates being “evil” in famous movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and shows, they’re known to capture the attention of kids, which is why using an evil pirate in the commercial is a useful technique to make the child want to buy the cereal box. Pirates are also known to steal things like treasure, and in the commercial the pirate is saying he wants to steal their “luscious honey treasure,” this is implying to the child that he is evil and mysterious. Having a pirate appear evil and mysterious is a attention grabber to the child, making the commercial be very engaging for them to watch. By Andrea Walters using her research on the “fantasy lives of young children,” then her commercial will be successful among children’s attention spam, and make them want to go out and purchase the product to defeat the evil pirate in the commercial.

Viewers of this commercial will think it’s just another way of the Honey Nut Cheerios company trying to sell their product by using their famous talking honey bee, but a vital point is being missed. The fact that so many Honey Nut Cheerios commercials all over the world use the famous honey bee, as a sign and a strategy for the commercial to manipulate their viewers. By consuming the famous talking honey bee, "Buzz", and naturally making try to save the honey from the pirates, is suggesting to the child that an insect is in this commercial is securing their honey from the evil pirate. In the commercial the honey bee Buzz says, “We go to plan B, this is not your honey yellow jack, I’ll save it,” is implying the honey bee will save the day and get the honey back from the evil pirate. This is a critical technique to have in a children’s commercial because children love animals and insects who talk and act like real humans. Likewise, in the article “Kid Kustomers,” Schlosser uses the quote “The Character Lab; a division of Youth Market System Consulting, utilizes a proprietary technique called Character Appeal Quadrant Analysis to help companies develop current mascots. The technique purports to depict imaginary characters who perfectly fit the targeted age group’s level of cognitive and neurological development” (Schlosser, 4). The Character Appeal Quadrant Analysis, in other words, is another way scientists and researchers have studied to find ways of convincing their audience to buy their product. This analysis has found that using creative imaginary characters like Buzz, and making him speak and act as a hero, then the honey bee will catch the eye of children making them want the product. This also implies that the companies behind the making of these commercials, in this case, Andrea Walters studied this technique and use the “imaginary character." The imaginary character, in this case, is the talking honey bee. A honey bee shown to be flying, talking, and “saving” honey is imaginary and is one of the ways the commercial used the Character Appeal Quadrant Analysis to help it appeal to children more. This suggests to the child that if they buy the cereal box, then they will be able to help Buzz solve the mystery of the missing honey treasure using the compass decoder.

By using real children in this commercial, the advertiser is implying that buying this product can make the child viewing this product’s life turn into the commercial, and give them the impression that the child will help Buzz find the missing honey. Children’s commercials often employ child actors to make both children “speak” to each other through the commercial. Walters commercial uses the child to act as if they’re speaking to the child that is viewing this commercial by quoting, “Now you can help Buzz find the hidden golden honey too.” As a child is viewing this commercial, they’re imagining themselves in the place of the child that is in the commercial and will want to participate in helping find the honey. The child’s imagination automatically turns themselves in the place of the child in the commercial, making it turn into a fantasy. On a related note, Schlosser uses the quote “They study the fantasy lives of young children; they apply the findings in advertisements and product designs,” (Schlosser, 4) which is what the commercial is doing. A child viewing this commercial will want to experience the same thing the child in the commercial is experiencing. By Walter studying the “fantasy lives of young children” and knowing what children enjoy watching, then her commercial will definitely need to have a child helping a honey bee find the missing honey on a ship that is under honey. This is the fantasy Walters is using in her commercial. When she is studying what they will want to go out and purchase, then her commercial will definitely have a fantasy technique in it. By achieving this fantasy the child wants to have happen, then viewing this commercial will make them think it will happen under the circumstance of them buying this cereal box. This commercial’s use of a child helping a honey bee find missing honey treasure is a unique technique used by Andrea Walters to help argue how if children buy this product, then they will be able to help find the missing honey.

In May 20th, 2009, Honey Nut Cheerios Commercial published by Andrea Walters, the commercial is arguing how if one buys this Honey Nut Cheerios box, then the child will be able to help the honey bee, Buzz, solve the mystery of the missing honey treasure using the compass decoder.