https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XYtGYrQeV4
United Commercial – Onboard with “Rhapsody in Blue”
Alisha Alex
The power of visual advertisements can make a marketing plan more powerful and more memorable. It helps people envision a brand and its message in their mind, which helps them to remember it when it’s time to purchase the product. The visual advertisement by United Airlines is very effective on several different aspects. One aspect that worked very well with the advertisement was the clarity of the message. In the visual advertisement, it filmed an orchestra performing on an airplane. The narrator, then, at the same time says, “Every thought, every movement, carefully planned, coordinated, and synchronized. Performing together with a single united purpose. That’s what makes the world’s leading airline flyer friendly.” The usage of the orchestra makes the commercial most effective as the narrator plays off of this. As by definition, an orchestra is a group of instrumentalists, combining string, woodwind, and brass instruments. This group of musicians play musical compositions that are designed to be performed unified. United Airlines had conveyed the message that the Airlines provides the combination of great customer service, new aircraft, onboard features, and digital channels. The spot in the visual advertisement showcases the spacious seating options while showing the employees in the cockpit and cabin. This allows the customers to feel as if the employees are one big happy family awaiting to serve them in any way possible.
Elviris Rodriguez
This whole commercial feels like it is trying to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the early years of commercial airplane travel when it was more expensive so people considered it to be more exclusive and a sophisticated experience. This commercial conveys the feeling of these early years while placing it in a modern setting, this is effectively conveyed through the use of colors and sound. The ad uses a combination of warm and cool colors. The background colors are mainly warm and bright, there are hints of yellow and gold from the instruments and the background light. These colors represent excitement, exuberance, and renewal. They show how the airline is moving into the modern age and how their airplanes are a friendly, welcoming place. On the other hand, the objects in the foreground are mainly cool and neutral colors, there is a lot of blue, gray, and some black. These colors are more traditional and represent how United Airlines is maintaining the classic, sophisticated feel of flying. Music is also a very big part of this ad that maintains this sophisticated feeling. The song that the orchestra is playing is called “Rhapsody in Blue” which is a 1924 song that was composed by George Gershwin. When the song was first played it received mixed-reviews but now it is considered a classic piece that is often used to represent New York. It is also used by United Airlines for their ads and on the airplanes, but by having the song played by an orchestra it gives it an extra layer of seriousness and sophistication.
Matthew Epstein
When people generally think of airline commercials, what often comes to mind is a cookie cutter type of advertisement that shows off a gigantic and sleek looking airplane on a runway. These commercials mostly focus on the features of the plane itself. Because this formula of advertisement is so common, this particular airplane commercial stands out considerably. We barely see the exterior of the plane at all and even the interior of the plane is not the main focus of the advertisement. In fact, you might forget that you are watching an advertisement at all, because you are absorbed by the beautiful music being played by the symphony. The uniqueness of a full symphony occupying the seats in a plane in combination with the sheer bliss of “Rhapsody In Blue” leaves the audience smiling instead of desperately waiting for the end of the commercial. United Airlines knows what we are expecting and uses information to completely catch us off-guard. This advertisement works similarly to a plot twist in a movie that wants us to think one way but actually serves a different purpose, an element rarely seen in commercials.
Yes, this is a nice ad, and you make some very good specific references: You nicely discuss the specific text; you discuss the music very specifically, in terms of the message and in terms of the nostalgic atmosphere the videographers are creating; a nice discussion of color (good details); a reference to how this commercial differs from most airline ads. Think more carefully about the specific demographic and how their very specific choices create a strong visual argument for their demographic, before we meet Wed.
Nicely done.