Group 1- Group Blog Post

Group Source - Jim Beam - The Ultimate Girlfriend commercial
This commercial has been a pretty popular one since it's release in 2008. It can mostly be seen on channels that appeal to men such as Spike and ESPN. Spike's website is where we found the video of it. The rhetoric of love in pop culture is evident here, as they are making the argument that as this girl is the ultimate girlfriend, Jim Beam is the ultimate bourbon. The "girlfriend" displayed here is one that every guy would dream of - she's exotic, she's sexy, and she doesn't nag her boyfriend for things that most girlfriends would do so for.

As we can see in the comments under the video on Spike's website, syren33 says, "What nationality is she?" The comment reminds us that many men find exotic, foreign girls appealing. The girl's accent, dark hair, and dark skin tell us she is of a nationality other than American, and her misunderstanding of American relationship norms may be the reason for all of her man's freedoms, (fat, hairy back, going to the striptease, going out with the boys, etc.) The comment from T1987 is quite interesting. He/she states: "That's just it... She doesn't care. That makes her the worst girlfriend and best long-term slut you'll have." This quote implies that "the" girlfriend should care about those things if she cared about you, indicating a possible flaw in the commercial. Even if men agree with this statement, the advertising technique still works. It may imply a gender stereotype, that all men want is a sexy girl who lets him do whatever he wants, and that men only want the one-nighter kind of relationship that doesn't involve the complications of commitment.

The interesting thing about the ad is that 95% of it is spent on the "girlfriend" and only a small portion of it focuses on the product; they put most of their efforts on attention grabbing, and only a small amount of time on brand exposure. Most emphasis is on the girlfriend, and not the actual product, the bourbon. The only thing we see about the bourbon is the brand name and a picture of it. No explanation is given as to why it's "the" bourbon, it's just supposed to be understood since they just depicted a correct image of "the" girlfriend. We definitely think that this advertisement is effective in attracting consumers' attention, however the issue that concerns us is that the viewer doesn't have any idea what the product being advertised is until the last 5 seconds of the commercial. As we watch the ad, we tend to get somewhat annoyed halfway through because we don't know what is being advertised. The question that we ask after watching this is "Is there enough brand exposure for this to be an effective advertisement?"

Things to keep in mind about this commercial is most of the things we've talked about above. Is this the idea of "the" girlfriend? Or do you agree with T1987's comment that it is more like "the worst girlfriend and best long-term slut you'll have"? Also an important aspect is her image as a whole - she has dark hair, dark skin, an exotic accent, and is wearing a lacy revealing top. Why are these attributes so appealing to men? Or are they? We think the darkness appeals to men because they remind men of the dark, maybe even sexy side in women. It also reminds them that the girl is foreign, and may be easy to get with because of her lack of knowledge of the American relationship. Men and women may both be offended by this ad. Women are clearly objectified by the implication that they are only used physically and not for genuine love and commitment. Also, this ad suggests that women shouldn't get jealous and shouldn't want flowers from her man. If she does do these things, she's not the perfect girlfriend. Men may be offended that Jim Beam assumes that all men only want the physical aspects of a one-night-stand kind of girl, as well as a girl who is apathetic to anything that might be wrong with him. Foreign women might also be offended, for the foreign woman in the ad is depicted is ignorant.

Jim Beam makes the argument that if this is "the girlfriend" that you would want, then this is "the bourbon" that you also want. The brand works to show that Jim Beam knows what men want, not only in their lover, but in their bourbon. Jim Beam makes the direct relationship to their bourbon; this is "the" girlfriend, and this is "the" bourbon. Emphasis on the word "the" portrays an essence that whatever follows the word "the" is the premium choice - just like the way we say "The Ohio State." Men see that, yes, this is "the" ultimate girlfriend, so they must be telling the truth that Jim Bean's bourbon is "the" bourbon.

Another aspect to point out about the ad is the visuals. The background is almost all white and the girl sits sexily on quality furniture. The light colored background contrasts the darkness of her hair and skin. There is also a scene with a fireplace, which is a staple in America to the idea of "romance."