(02-14-2011 09:24 AM)klg316 Wrote: This isn't that complicated. He looks up and down at the white guy in disgust, right before he looks directly at the black guy and asks him, "You invited Eric? I thought Eric gave you the creeps?" The black guy he is talking to even looks directly at Eric in between the lines "You invited Eric?" and "I thought Eric gave you the creeps." Eric then looks around with a "What is going on?" look. Then the main guy gets the text message. Then the other black guy gives him a look like, "Maybe if you had a better cell phone carrier you wouldn't be getting text messages late and you wouldn't let Eric know that I was talking **** about him behind his back." Then the main guy looks back at Eric to kind of say, "Oh ****, I stuck my foot in my mouth, now I'm going to play it off like it was nothing."
That's the way you interpret it, and that's fine, but I'm pretty sure you're not the authority on how people have to translate commercials.
How did the first black guy know that the other black guy was the one that sent the invitations, when he hasn't gotten his yet?
The funny thing is, the first black guy has (what appeared to be) an iPhone, back when AT&T was the only carrier that had them.
It isn't the way I interpret it. It is the way that it is. 30 second commercials don't need interpretation. They aren't ******* Shakespeare. They shouldn't need translation.
(02-14-2011 11:29 AM)klg316 Wrote: It isn't the way I interpret it. It is the way that it is. 30 second commercials don't need interpretation. They aren't ******* Shakespeare. They shouldn't need translation.
That is a simpleton's view. Commercials are filled with hidden messages that play to people's unconscious views, desires, needs, impulses, prejudices, etc. and thus are open to many different interpretations, just like a song or a painting. That's one of the reasons why marketers have focus groups...so they can get a read on how their messages are being received and translated. You clearly have no education or experience in business if you don't already know that. Sometimes it's intentional, sometimes it's not. It wasn't in this case, but it still applies. It would take one incredibly arrogant, narcissistic person to say "My translation is right and yours is wrong." We're not talking about whether or not the earth is flat or round here, it's a commercial. Get over yourself.
(02-14-2011 11:29 AM)klg316 Wrote: It isn't the way I interpret it. It is the way that it is. 30 second commercials don't need interpretation. They aren't ******* Shakespeare. They shouldn't need translation.
That is a simpleton's view. Commercials are filled with hidden messages that play to people's unconscious views, desires, needs, impulses, prejudices, etc. and thus are open to many different interpretations, just like a song or a painting. That's one of the reasons why marketers have focus groups...so they can get a read on how their messages are being received and translated. You clearly have no education or experience in business if you don't already know that. Sometimes it's intentional, sometimes it's not. It wasn't in this case, but it still applies. It would take one incredibly arrogant, narcissistic person to say "My translation is right and yours is wrong." We're not talking about whether or not the earth is flat or round here, it's a commercial. Get over yourself.
We are arguing over whether Eric is the white guy or not. He is. It is clear as day. That part of the commercial is not up to interpretation. We aren't arguing over how this commercial is representative of how women and blacks have had to deal with the oppression of the white man throughout America's history or anything nearly deep in that nature. But please by all means continue to be obstinate for obstinate's sake.
(02-14-2011 11:29 AM)klg316 Wrote: It isn't the way I interpret it. It is the way that it is. 30 second commercials don't need interpretation. They aren't ******* Shakespeare. They shouldn't need translation.
That is a simpleton's view. Commercials are filled with hidden messages that play to people's unconscious views, desires, needs, impulses, prejudices, etc. and thus are open to many different interpretations, just like a song or a painting. That's one of the reasons why marketers have focus groups...so they can get a read on how their messages are being received and translated. You clearly have no education or experience in business if you don't already know that. Sometimes it's intentional, sometimes it's not. It wasn't in this case, but it still applies. It would take one incredibly arrogant, narcissistic person to say "My translation is right and yours is wrong." We're not talking about whether or not the earth is flat or round here, it's a commercial. Get over yourself.
We are arguing over whether Eric is the white guy or not. He is. It is clear as day. That part of the commercial is not up to interpretation. We aren't arguing over how this commercial is representative of how women and blacks have had to deal with the oppression of the white man throughout America's history or anything nearly deep in that nature. But please by all means continue to be obstinate for obstinate's sake.
To you. Others think he is the black guy, and neither is right or wrong. They just interpreted it different ways. The only way you can interpret a commercial wrong is if you think it's selling a product or service that it isn't.
Obstinate? To be obstinate, it requires someone presenting a persuasive alternate view. You are essentially just saying "I'm right and you're wrong. How do I know? Because I just said so." You'd make a hell of an attorney.
And I didn't say anything about oppression. Nice straw man. I was arguing your simpleton view that commercials don't require interpretation. Every message sent, down to small talk and basic e-mails, can be misinterpreted or taken in different ways, due to body language, tone, etc.
(02-14-2011 11:29 AM)klg316 Wrote: It isn't the way I interpret it. It is the way that it is. 30 second commercials don't need interpretation. They aren't ******* Shakespeare. They shouldn't need translation.
That is a simpleton's view. Commercials are filled with hidden messages that play to people's unconscious views, desires, needs, impulses, prejudices, etc. and thus are open to many different interpretations, just like a song or a painting. That's one of the reasons why marketers have focus groups...so they can get a read on how their messages are being received and translated. You clearly have no education or experience in business if you don't already know that. Sometimes it's intentional, sometimes it's not. It wasn't in this case, but it still applies. It would take one incredibly arrogant, narcissistic person to say "My translation is right and yours is wrong." We're not talking about whether or not the earth is flat or round here, it's a commercial. Get over yourself.
What in the hell is going on? The white guy is clearly Eric.
I think Eric is the other black guy (as evidenced by everyone looking at him when the first guy says "You invited Eric?", then the camera going directly to him, then him glaring at the first guy after he gets the e-mail), but apparently i'm in the minority on that one.
no, eric is the white guy, the camera looks at the black guy because he is the one being rated out.
I think people are letting their eyes do their thinking. The white guy is the creepy looking one, no doubt. If he was Eric, why would they place him shoulder to shoulder with the most attractive woman in the commercial? The black guy was placed on the end by himself to isolate him from the group on purpose. That's a very basic marketing concept. And if you just found out all your coworkers were creeped out by you, would you just go along munching on a taco like nothing was wrong, like the white guy? And the taco party was supposed to be "outside Bill's office" and the white guy is the one shown standing in front of an office door. Think about it.
Eric is the white guy. It is blatantly obvious.
I thought he was an albino black guy...but he is definitely the creepy guy.
(02-12-2011 12:58 PM)RUNVSFD MINER Wrote: After the comparison of Josh Pastner to Peter Brady, I felt compelled to post the "Have you seen this boy?" thread (after the Terminator II quote).
But now I see Bill Paxton (HBO's Big Love) when I see Tim Floyd.
Any other look-alikes in CUSA? Players or coaches?
(This post was last modified: 02-14-2011 06:40 PM by GrayBeard.)
Quote:(NOTE: Chris Beresford-Hill, the man who wrote this hilarious commercial, let me know there’s a fundamental error in my analysis because the gray-haired dude is actually Eric, who gives everyone the creeps. And you know what, that’s awesome anyway.)
Apparently the guy who wrote the commercial doesn't think that it's up to interpretation.
(02-14-2011 07:06 PM)klg316 Wrote: I did a little googling and found this:
Quote:(NOTE: Chris Beresford-Hill, the man who wrote this hilarious commercial, let me know there’s a fundamental error in my analysis because the gray-haired dude is actually Eric, who gives everyone the creeps. And you know what, that’s awesome anyway.)
Apparently the guy who wrote the commercial doesn't think that it's up to interpretation.
Wow, you didn't have anything better to do than sit around and Google who wrote the ad and sift through blogs to find this? Obviously, the writer of the ad had one specific person in mind. It's not improv. You unwittingly helped prove my point though by showing that he had to clarify. Clearly, not everyone thought it was so obvious, and I don't understand why you are too stubborn/ignorant to admit that it's reasonable for some people to think Eric could have been the black guy. Ultimately, it doesn't even matter if you think Eric is the white guy, the black guy, one of the women, or the f****** taco itself, the core message (AT&T service = fast) still gets through, which is sole point of the (any) commercial.
(02-14-2011 07:06 PM)klg316 Wrote: I did a little googling and found this:
Quote:(NOTE: Chris Beresford-Hill, the man who wrote this hilarious commercial, let me know there’s a fundamental error in my analysis because the gray-haired dude is actually Eric, who gives everyone the creeps. And you know what, that’s awesome anyway.)
Apparently the guy who wrote the commercial doesn't think that it's up to interpretation.
Wow, you didn't have anything better to do than sit around and Google who wrote the ad and sift through blogs to find this? Obviously, the writer of the ad had one specific person in mind. It's not improv. You unwittingly helped prove my point though by showing that he had to clarify. Clearly, not everyone thought it was so obvious, and I don't understand why you are too stubborn/ignorant to admit that it's reasonable for some people to think Eric could have been the black guy. Ultimately, it doesn't even matter if you think Eric is the white guy, the black guy, one of the women, or the f****** taco itself, the core message (AT&T service = fast) still gets through, which is sole point of the (any) commercial.
Actually, I just googled "ATT Taco Party Commercial Cast" and it was on the first page. I then googled the writer's name to check to make sure that he did in fact write the commercial. All in all, I think it took me maybe two minutes at the max to do that. I should've just done this yesterday afternoon.
(This post was last modified: 02-14-2011 09:26 PM by klg316.)
(02-14-2011 07:06 PM)klg316 Wrote: I did a little googling and found this:
Quote:(NOTE: Chris Beresford-Hill, the man who wrote this hilarious commercial, let me know there’s a fundamental error in my analysis because the gray-haired dude is actually Eric, who gives everyone the creeps. And you know what, that’s awesome anyway.)
Apparently the guy who wrote the commercial doesn't think that it's up to interpretation.
Wow, you didn't have anything better to do than sit around and Google who wrote the ad and sift through blogs to find this? Obviously, the writer of the ad had one specific person in mind. It's not improv. You unwittingly helped prove my point though by showing that he had to clarify. Clearly, not everyone thought it was so obvious, and I don't understand why you are too stubborn/ignorant to admit that it's reasonable for some people to think Eric could have been the black guy. Ultimately, it doesn't even matter if you think Eric is the white guy, the black guy, one of the women, or the f****** taco itself, the core message (AT&T service = fast) still gets through, which is sole point of the (any) commercial.
Actually, I just googled "ATT Taco Party Commercial Cast" and it was on the first page. I then googled the writer's name to check to make sure that he did in fact write the commercial. All in all, I think it took me maybe two minutes at the max to do that. I should've just done this yesterday afternoon.
Why? You didn't prove anything. I never argued that the writer intended for people to think Eric was the black guy. If you think that is what I am arguing, you must be illiterate. I thought so when I first watched, so did some others, and it was reasonable to think so (for several reasons I already listed, which you apparently didn't/couldn't read). Apparently, most people thought the white guy was creepy looking, and that prejudice led them to believe he was Eric probably before the dialogue even started, which is likely exactly what the advertisers were trying to do. I didn't see him as "creepy" looking, so for me, it was determined subconsciously by other cues, like the black guy's relative isolation from the rest of the group at the end of the cart. I also thought the first guy was talking about him, not directly to him. I admitted that I was aware I was in the minority. You stated your simpleton view that commercials do not require translation and made the arrogant assertion that there was no way it could be interpreted that way, which obviously isn't true, since the writer himself had to clarify. That is what I am arguing. Like I just said, it doesn't even matter who Eric was, the message of the commercial would have still been conveyed just the same. Commercials are no different than any other type of message. They have to be decoded by the recipient, and that means it can and will be taken in different ways. To not be able to understand that is to be ignorant of one of the fundamental concepts of communication.
(02-14-2011 07:06 PM)klg316 Wrote: I did a little googling and found this:
Quote:(NOTE: Chris Beresford-Hill, the man who wrote this hilarious commercial, let me know there’s a fundamental error in my analysis because the gray-haired dude is actually Eric, who gives everyone the creeps. And you know what, that’s awesome anyway.)
Apparently the guy who wrote the commercial doesn't think that it's up to interpretation.
Wow, you didn't have anything better to do than sit around and Google who wrote the ad and sift through blogs to find this? Obviously, the writer of the ad had one specific person in mind. It's not improv. You unwittingly helped prove my point though by showing that he had to clarify. Clearly, not everyone thought it was so obvious, and I don't understand why you are too stubborn/ignorant to admit that it's reasonable for some people to think Eric could have been the black guy. Ultimately, it doesn't even matter if you think Eric is the white guy, the black guy, one of the women, or the f****** taco itself, the core message (AT&T service = fast) still gets through, which is sole point of the (any) commercial.
Actually, I just googled "ATT Taco Party Commercial Cast" and it was on the first page. I then googled the writer's name to check to make sure that he did in fact write the commercial. All in all, I think it took me maybe two minutes at the max to do that. I should've just done this yesterday afternoon.
Why? You didn't prove anything. I never argued that the writer intended for people to think Eric was the black guy. If you think that is what I am arguing, you must be illiterate. I thought so when I first watched, so did some others, and it was reasonable to think so (for several reasons I already listed, which you apparently didn't/couldn't read). Apparently, most people thought the white guy was creepy looking, and that prejudice led them to believe he was Eric probably before the dialogue even started, which is likely exactly what the advertisers were trying to do. I didn't see him as "creepy" looking, so for me, it was determined subconsciously by other cues, like the black guy's relative isolation from the rest of the group at the end of the cart. I also thought the first guy was talking about him, not directly to him. I admitted that I was aware I was in the minority. You stated your simpleton view that commercials do not require translation and made the arrogant assertion that there was no way it could be interpreted that way, which obviously isn't true, since the writer himself had to clarify. That is what I am arguing. Like I just said, it doesn't even matter who Eric was, the message of the commercial would have still been conveyed just the same. Commercials are no different than any other type of message. They have to be decoded by the recipient, and that means it can and will be taken in different ways. To not be able to understand that is to be ignorant of one of the fundamental concepts of communication.
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