I found a TV advertisement for Coca-Cola that uses Spanish subtitles but shows children singing an English song in the background (“Whatever” by British band Oasis). There is also an English version of the ad which is identical to the Spanish one except that all of the subtitles are in English. Because the lyrics of the song are so central to the message of the ad, it seems that the creators of the Spanish version assumed that members of their audience know enough English to understand at least some of the lyrics, or maybe that they know this particular song and the message it conveys. I am not sure if these assumptions are well grounded, but the overall positive tone of the song would have some impact even if the lyrics are not understood. It is also possible that the Spanish version is geared towards Spanish-speaking individuals residing in America. The English version, on the other hand, targets only the English-speaking population since there’s nothing Latino or Spanish in it. I am not exactly sure which version is the original one, but either way the translators did a good job since the subtitles in both languages seem correctly phrased.
I found this advertisement to be extremely manipulative. It is true that every advertisement is manipulative, but to portray Coca-Cola, which is known to decalcify bones, contribute to obesity and diabetes, etc. as a positive that counterbalances some of the evils of this world is below the belt. This is exacerbated by the fact that the evils listed are quite serious and the positives that are said to counterbalance them are very serious as well. To equate Coca-Cola with love, family, compassion, etc. is pretty crazy, but because of this it is a very powerful and effective advertisement that is bound to “win a lot of hearts.” This is good for the Coca-Cola company but really bad for the public. As someone who is not a big fan of this product, I did not fall into their trap but instead rejoiced in the positive statistics that were presented and treated the inclusion of Coca-Cola as a funny joke.
Spanish Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkZGU4O7fxU
English Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKDOWAf5M8
Manipulative indeed!
The comparisons have been target in that way oon purpose, it is noticeble, for one that has good critical skills that the statistics were intentional!