I responded to this comment from T1987: "That's just it... She doesn't care. That makes her the worst girlfriend and best long-term slut you'll have."
My response: "True, the word 'girlfriend' may not be the best word for this girl, due to her lack of caring about her relationship's flaws, but Jim Beam gets his point across that this is arguably the best girl a stereotypical man could imagine having. Plus, it is a simple word that fits well in a commercial that clearly is trying to keep things short, sweet, and to the point. And for some men, it might be 'the girlfriend.'"
True, if it was the perfect"girlfriend", her care for these things (like her man going to the strip club) would be good for the relationship and would prove that she is probably loyal and wants loyalty in return, resulting in a healthy, lasting relationship. But, I can see why Jim Beam would choose this strategy to describe the ultimate girlfriend. A generalized idea of men is that men wish they could do whatever they want without their girlfriend nagging them about it. I'm not sure why, but many men also seem to be attracted to exotic, foreign women with dark hair and dark skin - they find it sexy. When looking at it from the point of view of the generalization, it comes off as humorous. Of course this is an exaggerated version of what men would love in a woman, and is completely unrealistic. Girls may laugh at this because they think, “This is exactly what I feel my boyfriend expects from me” and guys may laugh because they think it is an extreme, yet somewhat accurate version of their high expectations. While “best long-term slut you’ll have” might in fact be a better description of the girl (she is sexy and doesn’t care about things that might harm the commitment factor in a relationship), that kind of wording would not work in the ad itself. Calling her “the girlfriend” is comical because of its absurdity, and it is one word, helping with the audible and visual connection to “the bourbon.” Plus, most men probably would feel more comfortable calling her their “girlfriend” and not their “long-term slut."
Is her apathy to her man's wrongs a good or a bad thing in a girlfriend? Is Jim Beam's main point to try to send the message that girls need to be less needy and jealous of their man? Although Jim Beam's depiction of "the girlfriend" may be wrong, is it still effective in the ad?
I think that this idea of "the ultimate girlfriend" and the ultimate burbon is effective because it makes the ad stick in your mind. And ultimately, you want your consumers to remember your product, and I feel that this ad does just that.
ReplyDeleteComing from a girl's point of view, I think the idea of "the ultimate girlfriend" is unappealing. It seems as if she doesn't care about her man or getting respect from him. When a man first watches this, he probably finds it appealing. It sounds great until he really thinks about it. If he's getting all of this freedom, is she allowing herself the same sort of freedoms? This advertisement is steryotypical. It groups all men together in saying that she is the perfect girlfriend. There are probably many men who would disagree. I think "the girlfriend" is an effective idea in the ad. A perfect women is created which compares with the perfect bourbon.
ReplyDeleteThis ad is effective because it is humurous in both men and womens eyes. it focuses on the belief that this woman would be the stereotypical perfect girlfriend. Everyone knows(men and women) thats men hate being nagged and held back by girlfriends. That is why this advertisement is effective. Is it sending the sending the right message? maybe not.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very effective advertisement. The woman is attractive, so the men will remember her. She also had a foreign accent, which makes the observer want to listen more and harder, because she is somewhat difficult to understand. The ad is also appealing because of its humor. Everyone knows that she is not "The Ultimate Girlfriend", but the fact that Jim Beam wrote "THE Girlfriend", then quickly replaced it with "THE Bourbon", it makes the product name stick in your head.
ReplyDeleteThe way that this commercial portrays the perfect girlfriend is wrong but some guys want a girl like this. Some guys that are in college and have a lot of time on their hands to watch tv would prefer this type of girlfriend. They want to have fun and not have to worry about the typical nagging girlfriend. Not all guys are like this and it is not an accurate portrayal of a girlfriend. But with that being said, in a very effective way it sells the product which is all it is meant to do.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the commercial was funny, trying to display the "perfect girlfriend." I wouldn't want to have that perfect girlfriend as she is displayed in this commercial, but I think it works a little with Jim Beam trying to come off as the perfect bourbon. I think this would stick in someone's head if they saw it. Someone would be shopping for some bourbon and then remember the perfect girlfriend, so they'd buy some Jim Beam.
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