Smuckers Commercial – Grandpa’s Jacket – 2010 …
Since I am a Schmucker and related to the Smucker’s jelly family, I decided to write about one of their famous commercials.
The commercial starts out with Tim Smucker opening the barn to find Richard Smucker holding an apple, talking like an old man, and wearing their Grandpa Smucker’s jacket. Richard wants to be just like his grandpa one day and takes pride in the family business. The lighting really sets this scene because they use dim lighting except for the bright spotlight on Richard. The camera zooms into his face and allows the audience to see the details of Richard’s young and innocent facial features. The following shot shows the two brothers walking away with Richard’s arm around his older brother’s should, which depicts love, friendship, and the importance of family. From there, the scene switches, and the camera starts to zoom in on a close up of a Smucker’s jam bottle and the smearing of the jam on an English muffin. The close up of the jam being spread on the bread makes the audience hungry because the visual is quite appealing and looks yummy. The boys return to the screen and are walking through the apple orchard and cheerfully reminiscing about their grandpa. (On a side note the apple orchard is where J.M. Smucker started selling the first of the Smucker’s products, apple butter). The camera zooms in on Tim as he quotes one of their famous sayings, “I’ve never tasted anything so delicious,” which young Richard then repeats. This repetition of the quote makes it stand out and plays off of people’s emotions because it shows that Richard looks up to Tim too. The final image of the commercial is a wide shot of the two boys walking further into the orchard. The image is beautifully framed because the two boys are walking down a path that is framed with the tall, shady apple trees that cast shadows down on the boys strolling below. At the bottom of the screen, the famous slogan “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good” appears in bold white lettering next to the bottle of apricot preserves that they used earlier. This white lettering stands out great because it nicely contrasts with the dark background.
The commercial is relying on pathos, which is an emotional appeal used in advertising. The audience has a love for the boy who aspires to be his grandpa one day and make the world’s best jam. We are also more willing to go out and buy Smuckers’ jelly because we are supporting a family owned business that seems natural and encourages future generations to follow in their family’s footsteps. Smuckers’ commercials always incorporate the importance of family into their commercials by using their grandchildren. They also shot their commercials on their farm, showing that their products come from all natural produce that is fresh and well taken care of by a caring family. The setting of the farm also gives the audience a sense of warmth, nourishment, and healthy living.
Extra info about the Smucker’s and their products can be found on their website!
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