Commercial critique 2

The second commercial that I viewed was an AirBnB commercial entitled "Don't Go There, Live There."  The beginning of the commercial contains several bleak shots of tourists at the Eiffel Tower, the Arc du Triumphe, and other typical Paris landmarks.  With no background music, a female voiceover recites in monotone, "Don't go to Paris.  Don't tour Paris.  And please, don't do Paris." This bleak, condescending tone stands in stark contrast to the shots of the typical tourist destinations, which are usually associated with fun vacations.  This contrast is enough to pull the viewer in, making them wonder why the narrator is saying what she is.

Suddenly, we cut to a bright, warm shot of a young woman knocking on a door and being welcomed into a home.  Upbeat, authentic French music begins to play as shots of families making forts, cooking, and laughing together with friends over wine.  The voiceover then says, in a happier voice, "Live in Paris!" The ads then begin to move outside the home and even outside Paris, quickly comparing and contrasting typical tourist groups and double decker tours to authentic experiences like riding bikes, playing basketball, surfing, and dancing on the street in various other destinations.  The commercial ends with a repeat of the central theme of the ad: "Wherever you go, don't go there; live there.  Even if it's just for a night."

Personally, I thought that the commercial was decently effective.  The second half that explored the fun, authentic ways to experience a different culture was my favorite part.  I think that this second part of the commercial was extremely effective in portraying how an AirBnB could bring these experiences to life.  The feeling and vibe of an adventurous, culturally immersive experience was perfectly crafted; I even found myself wanting to seek out those experiences myself.

However, I do think that the beginning half of the commercial could have been improved significantly.  The advertisement's goal was to create stark contrast with the second half of the commercial by making the "typical" tourist vacation look bland and uneventful.  I think that this could have been better achieved by including shots of a typical, bleak hotel room, especially since the main product being advertised is the ability to stay in an actual home rather than a hotel.  I think that adding the hotel aspect would make the case for the AirBnB stronger, and as a result consumer recall of the brand would significantly increase when it comes to deciding where to stay during a travel experience.

It seems that the two main production elements of this commercial are location and actors.  The beginning of the commercial is in Paris, as evident by the shots in front of popular Paris landmarks; however, as the commercial goes on other cities are mentioned, such as Tokyo, Malibu, Los Angeles, etc.  It's very possible that some scenes were not filmed in these locations, but were simply recreated; for example, the dinner scenes in Tokyo and pool scene in Malibu could have easily been shot in the same location, just framed differently to fit their respective cities.  The commercial also features a large range of different actors; while only included in a couple of shots at a time with no dialogue, a wide array of actors is important for implying diversity and cultural authenticity.