Reading Response #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuu3jdmXQ4Y&feature=related

This commercial advertises AT&T’s family talk, which is a family plan on cell-phones, that lets unused minutes roll-over to the next month for free. The commercial shows a family, of four, eating food in their kitchen. The mom finds some roll-over minutes in the garbage can and then she is instantly irritated because someone threw out their minutes from last month and it saves money for the family when they recycle their minutes. A key statement she gasps is, “you know, there’s some people who don’t have any leftover minutes at all.” AT&T uses this statement to help sell their roll-over minutes because it is similar to a typical saying almost every kid hears growing up, “Some people don’t have any of that at all.”
One thing about America is a lot of people live better off than in other parts of the world. This statement almost makes people feel guilty for not using what they are given. The most common moment children hear this cliché is when they have not finished their meal. Parents state, “Some people don’t have any left-overs at all.” The commercial is ironic because the kids of the family are sitting down to eat as the women states the saying in different terms.
The commercial producer uses this to its advantage to help get more AT&T customers. By using irony in the commercial, the commercial is relatable to an everyday family, and is also incorporating the old cliché into the 21st century and its use of technology. People hear this aphorism and think “that’s right; I should get that plan because roll-over minutes would be beneficial for our family since it would help save us money.” In the end, AT&T wants their commercial to sell more family plans to additional customers so their company makes a lot of money.