Rough Outline
I. Introduction – American culture today tends to group people into different racial
or characteristic tropes that they use to define where you belong in society. Those
who struggle in social situations or can make people feel uncomfortable in casual
conversation are often placed into the awkward trope, making them outsiders to
the rest of the world.
a. Thesis Statement – The fact that advertisement companies are now
displaying these awkward “characters” in their commercials as comic
embarrassments or, in a sense, jesters clearly shows a form of stereotyping
that could be offensive to an audience who may fall into this awkward
trope.
II. Body Paragraph 1 – The first example of awkward characters used in
advertisements can be found in the Starburst “Berries and Crème Commercial”
from 2007.
a. In the commercial, two teenagers are discussing the new Berries and
Crème flavors of Starburst when a man dressed in Medieval clothing
appears and begins to sing an out-of-tune “berries and crème” song and
dance.
b. The man is not only awkward in the way he speaks and dances, but his
appearance is also very unsettling. He has wide blue eyes, long brown
hair, and is dressed in Medieval-style clothing that makes him seem even
more out-of-place in the scene.
c. Though the commercial is humorous, an audience can clearly see that the
man was intentionally an outsider in the teenage boys’ world.
III. Body Paragraph 2 – The Progressive Insurance company has also been producing
a line of commercials to market their different forms of insurance versus other
leading companies, and to do this they created a character named Flo who not
only knows her information about the insurance policies, but also brings comic
relief by her almost uncomfortable sense of humor.
a. Yet again we see in Flo’s appearance an awkwardness that is abnormal to
the appearance many people in our culture adorn today, including an
ample amount of red lipstick against her pale complexion, a 60’s ratted
hairstyle, and large, round eyes that give her an almost alien-like
impression.
b. The awkward trope has been used in these commercials similarly to the
Starburst commercial. Flo is the one character who is always struggling to
fit in socially with her customers, but is still an outsider due to her gaudy
appearance and socially uncomfortable sense of humor that often times is
shown to make the customers a bit uneasy.
IV. Body Paragraph 3 – The third example of the awkward trope being displayed in
commercials is seen in the 2010 Doritos Super bowl Ad in which a man and a
woman are sitting on the couch talking and when the man asks how they can
make the night better, the girl begins to kiss him passionately. When he asks her
where she learned to kiss like that, she quickly says “From my dad!”, leaving the
two speechless and an uncomfortable feeling in the air.
a. The main difference between this commercial and the Progressive and
Starburst commercials is the appearance of this woman in the video.
Instead of looking odd or out-of-place, she is dressed in a fairly normal
fashion, making her, at first glance, appear to be an average woman
spending an evening with her date. However, the second she states that she
learned how to kiss from her dad her facial appearance turns from excited
to almost crazy, making her fall into the “crazy side” of the awkward
trope.
b. Through this commercial, Doritios seems to want to portray that even
seemingly normal looking individuals can be awkward and that society
should insure that people actually fit into the norm for our culture besides
their appearance.
V. Body Paragraph 4 – The Sprint cell phone company tends to use strong male or
female characters to display their great deals on new models of cell phones and
less expensive contracts. However, in a recent commercial, the company veers to
the awkward stereotype to create comedy in their ad.
a. In the commercial, a couple is seated together at a restaurant texting on
their cell phones when the woman breaks up with her boyfriend and the
moment becomes instantly unpleasant.
b. The entire commercial is awkward through the actors portrayal of the
characters, the uncomfortable silences between each phrase, and the
eventual breakup at the end of the conversation.
c. Their appearances are not too abnormal but are still a bit off from the
norm of society, creating another reason for the commercial to become
awkward and the characters to be seen as this stereotype.
VI. Conclusion – Advertisement companies have been searching for a character that
appeals to a general audience through humor, and many use awkward characters
to do this. By using these awkward characters, advertisement companies are
inadvertently saying that those who are socially uncomfortable should be laughed
at, but should remain outsiders in society.
***STILL RESEARCHING***