Tide Super Bowl Ad

Who doesn't love Hopper? This brilliant and hilarious commercial featuring David Harbour aired during Super Bowl 52.

The first scene opens with Harbour in a sleek tuxedo driving a very expensive sports car. The visuals make it very apparent that this commercial is about a luxury car. Even Harbour's tone and eye contact match that of a James Bond esque scene. However, this is debunked with Harbour's dialogue when he asks the question "right?" (Easter Egg - if you listen closely, you can hear the Stranger Things electric bass in the background).

The next scene dollys back, tracking a beer as it is smoothly slid across the bar top. The camera then cuts to a 6-shot of Harbour. Here, he reinforces the skepticism of what this commercial is actually about. He does so through dialogue, mentioning the possibility that this is a comedic beer commercial. Again, this is debunked when the audience hears angelic tones with Harbour, again, saying "or".

The following scene is very dramatic. It combines design elements of the Grease song "Beauty School Dropout" with that of an 80s teen drama. The viewer in this case is left with complete confusion. We have no idea what this scene may be a commercial for, even David Harbour makes the comment "whatever this is for". The storytelling technique that is being practiced is quite effective. Since the audience truly has no idea what the ad is for, this keeps them engaged. There is a sense of mystery behind it all, tapping into the primal instinct of curiosity.

After the mysterious angelic scene, there is calm music playing as a two shot of Harbour and a farmer appear. This is where he finally reveals that it is a Tide ad. What follows is my personal favorite design and aesthetic in the entire 1:30 commercial.

Right away, based on the costumes, hair, blocking, color grading/palette, and location, one is reminded of a classic insurance commercial. The mis en scene is perfected. Personally, it reminds me of the the Liberty Mutual Insurance ads. This is all affirmed by the words on the screen that read "Get Insured" with an 888 number. It is also in this scene where the dialogue brilliantly is intertwined with the story to reveal more about the product - another intelligent tactic. In most cases, at least speaking from personal experience, when commercials begin lecturing us about the perks of the product, we tune them out. However, this is no ordinary infomercial or cliche medication plot.

The director also masters the "diamond commercial" design in the next scene. The pedastal down with the camera to reveal Harbour intamately putting on a necklace for a woman is directly out of the Kay Jewlers playbook. The flashes and slight flares, costumes, and blocking (again the whole mis en scene) is perfected.

The following sequences go through traditional commercial set-ups resembling that of a Coke, Dove, and Alexa ad. My only critique is that I feel this becomes slightly redundant; however, the viewer is kept on their toes, wondering if they could place what the next scene resembles. It almost plays a game of visual Buzzword. Finally, this is all tied together with a skillfully placed question, "Does this make all Super Bowl ads Tide ads?" Inserting this question leaves a memorable impression on the viewer. Now, in the following commercials, the viewer will be wondering "could this be a Tide ad?"