Aaron Watkins
Intro to Public Relations
Brand Do-Over (Final Draft)
The brand I’m choosing is Microsoft with their ad based on their new joystick. This was displayed during the Superbowl and this makes a huge impact on society because everyone who viewed the Superbowl saw this ad. The beauty behind it is that the brand is making more interactive for people who are suffering from a physical disability. The main message behind this there is a new device for everyone to play the game alongside people who typically play with the standard controller. Microsoft made sure that they make a product to be very inclusive but the messaging behind it is what makes it captivating.
The encoded message behind this advertisement is that everyone can play the game with nothing getting in their way, meaning everyone is on a leveled playing field. The children shown may have had some difficulties in the past with what most companies offered as a controller for their consoles but this new device helps them do things in these games that kids without the disability will normally be able to accomplish. They also are showing that the children with the physical disabilities are just like any other kid now, even though they may appear different everyone still wants to do the same things and have feelings just like you and I. Whether it was the child Owen who requires a wheelchair to maneuver or Sean in the intro that had one hand, they’re showing that everyone is the same at the end of the same. The imagery shows how excited these children are to actually have an opportunity to be able to play this game and be able to compete at the top level without any difficulties.
This works for the general public because it’ll remind them that there are people in less fortunate positions in life who aren’t catered to very often and how their daily lives. The general public will have an emotional response to this seeing that these kids may not have the physical capabilities that they may possess but they still have the spirit and charisma of someone who does. The Microsoft ad relates to the articles of Madrid and Rodriguez because Rodriguez talks about marketing to different audiences to get a better results, which they did and Madrid discusses the growth of minorities in America while the ad displays a minority male in the ad. Typically, they could have done more with their positioning the way the Cross Cultural ad explained how hiring a PR firm to help them reach a broader audience and Balta discussing the importance of having more minorities contributing to these corporate decisions.
What I would’ve done differently, I would have shown the difference of the children playing with the standard controller and the newer controller along with the results. The title of the entire ad would be “Bridging A Gap” because there’s a disconnect between those who have physical disability and trying to enjoy their lives like everyone else. We tend to not think about their lives and what they enjoy but now there’s a product that takes a step in a more progressive direction. This reminds the viewers to be more mindful of their health and how their position can be more helpful towards others.
The first scene would be three boys in the bedroom but only two are playing the game at hand while the remaining stares from a distance in a backdrop because he isn’t able to compete at the same ability. The children notice the third child in the back not being as joyful as they are and offer up a controller but the child declines while shaking his head in sadness because they’re aware that there’s a clear disadvantage. This will showcase the contrast between the children who live their lives oblivious to what others face and the child who has to acclimate to everything in this world that may be a little challenging. The message in this is even after being offered an opportunity to play, they decided to pass on it because they’ve been deeply discouraged about their ability to keep up.
The second scene will be a child in her living room playing a game showing a lot of determination to complete an objective that’s required. It’ll display the child running the same mission repetitively, but she can’t complete it because it requires a particular button combination which she can’t execute due to her physical disability. She tells her parents “In a minute” when it’s time to do anything aside from the game because of her need to achieve these video game accolades. This will show that people are ambitious and will stop at nothing to complete a particular task but sometimes don’t have the proper tools to do so. The message behind this is we may need something to get us to get us to the next level and we can’t do it alone all the time.
The third scene is a child in a wheelchair in school at a game tournament, he goes to sign up and everyone’s staring at him. One child approaches him and says “You don’t stand a chance in here. Don’t bother signing up for this, you’ll never win”. The child in the wheelchair gets saddened a slowly leaves but then stops short at the exit. He takes a deep breath, looks up, points at the sky and goes to sign up even after being discouraged. The message behind this is that no matter what people say, what people do to bother you, or any of the sort…you determine how you are life goes and you should follow through with your intentions.
Back at scene one, the child in the back receives a gift (the Microsoft controller) from his father and the father says “I know you feel left out but maybe this will change that feeling” then the child smiles and plugs in the controller to play with his friends to see that he can do everything. He’s playing with his friends for the first time and feels like a “normal” kid making jokes and laughing about what happening, after his friends leave, he continues to play into the night and the father comes back in and says “Hey son, it’s time for bed” then the replies “Ok Dad, after this mission. I’m almost done beating this game”. The father smiles and closes the door then lets the child get back to playing his game. This scene will show the difference in someone who was nearly depressed about their condition which resulted in isolation/introverted tendencies and how they did a complete 180 to end up being more interactive with everyone and feels capable.
Back at scene two, the girl is shopping with her parents in the mall and she says the new controller on display at the Microsoft store then convinces her parents to buy it for her. They get back home, she plugs it in and it’s nothing like she’s ever experienced before. Due to her condition, she was naturally a determined overachiever but that didn’t translate to her video games but now everything is easy to her. She’s unlocking new levels, she’s beating all of the missions and when her parents call her to dinner, she says “Okay, I’m coming down guys” then she comes to sit with her family who see the change in her. Everyone’s eating dinner, talking and enjoying one another’s presence. This scene will show how people will get so caught up in trying to achieve their personal gain, they’ll end up missing other moments that made them who they are but with the right tools you can stay balanced.
Back at scene three, the child in the wheelchair has his first battle and pulls out the Microsoft adaptive controller then says under his breath to himself, “You got this, man. You got this” and beats the other child by a landslide. His next opponent arrives, the same results. Then a montage of him beating all of the people in this tournament builds and every match that he plays, the more people that gather. Finally, he’s in Grand Finals of this tournament going against the child who said he said no chance and they play a set of best 3 of 5. As soon as they see “FIGHT” on the screen, you hear “The Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background only while they compete. The each both win two games and on the final game, the child in the wheelchair wins all 3 matches in the final game and is crowned the tournament winner. After the match is over, he goes to the kid who said the comment before the tournament and says “You should come over, we can practice together, and I can show you some combos” then they shake hands and leave the tournament together.
In the end of the ad, it shows all of the children smiling with their Microsoft Adaptive Controllers. The first scene will be the boy being held by his two friends because they all finally played together. The second scene will be the girl being carried by her parents while she’s holding the controller in joy because the daughter achieved her personal goal and still made time to enjoy her family. The third scene will be the boy in the wheelchair standing beside the boy who initially was a doubter but made him into a believer and a friend. The last scene will be a black screen that reads “When we all play, we all in” by James Earl Jones. I chose Mr. Jones on this because his voice is unique but very commanding with the bass and enunciation he possesses. That will be the advertisement for the Microsoft ad I’d create if I were given the opportunity to produce it.
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