Skylar Joyner

Essay 1
COMM 3560
February 24, 2016
Is It the Super Bowl or the Super Ads?
The world we live in is fast and full of information. That is easily seen when
watching an advertisement on television. It has also become clear that advisors have had
to get more creative because of the advance of technology. We live in a world where
people do not have to watch advertisements if they do not want to. Thus forcing business
to get creative. Recently humor has become one of the best ways to get consumers
attention. For this essay I will be analyzing five commercials that use humor to attract
attention through intercultural communication concepts related to America. Intercultural
communication can be defined as interaction between people whose cultural perceptions
and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event (Samovar 12).
Each commercial was released in February of 2016. Intercultural communication will be
applied to each advertisement through globalization, stereotypes, gender identity and
gender roles, national character, and family.
The first advertisement that will be analyzed was released by Taco Bell for the
2016 Super Bowl. This advertisement is a great example of globalization and how it has
affected our culture. It is advertising their new meal that contains cheese in a shell. They
have people in different cultures and areas of the country all saying that this particular
food item will be bigger than popular cultural things. For example a woman say, This is
going to be being than man buns than a man with a man bun says, this is going to be

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bigger than tinder (Bigger Than..). This shows how globalization has strongly affected
our culture and the people in it. According to the textbook globalization is the increasing
interdependence among national governments, business firms, nonprofit organizations,
and individual citizens (Samovar 2). Everything is a click away on the Internet,
technology, or television especially for individuals. This advertisements shows
globalization through individual citizens and how they are able to connect from coast to
coast with smart phones and interactive apps. The advertisement is a strong testament to
popular culture and how globalization has contributed to this culture.
The next advertisement refers to stereotypes. According to the textbook stereotype
is defined as a cognitive structure containing the perceivers knowledge, beliefs, and
expectancies about some human social groups (Samovar 170). This advertisement is a
copycat of a Verison advertisement. T-Mobil released the advertisement in 2016 for the
Super Bowl. This particular advertisement is retaliation against the claims that Verison
made against T-Mobil in an advertisement released in 2015. This advertisement
categorizes and classifies each cellular company because as human being we find it
necessary to do so (Samovar 170). This advertisement refers to stereotypes in relation to
the advertisement that is being mimicked. In the original advertisement all other cellular
companies are stereotyped as inferior companies. T-Mobil releases this advertisement to
show that the information provided was false. T-Mobil in fact is a stronger cellular
company. This is a perfect example of stereotyping because they tend to have a negative
aspect. Stereotypes can overgeneralize and become offensive to other members of a
particular culture who do not fit the stereotype mold (Samovar 170). It is funny that TMobile asked Steve Harvey to be apart of it because of the mistake he had made earlier in

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the year. In the advertisement he comes on screen saying that Verison made the mistake
and it was not him who had misinformed the media. Even though this advertisement is an
aggressive retaliation T-Mobil made sure to make it a light hearted comeback.
Cultural relationships are seen in the next advertisement related to gender identity
and gender roles. In everyday life socially constructed gender expectations for girls
and boys frequently translate into different experiences and roles throughout the life
course (Samovar 63). Geico released this particular advertisement in February of 2016.
It is comical because the son seen as a very masculine man. He is a spy trying to escape
the villains like an action movie. Thus his gender role is a man and to be powerful as a
man. The mothers gender role is as an older annoying woman who is clueless. In
American culture this can be thought to reflect gender identify. Gender identify is defined
as how a particular culture differentiates masculine and feminine social roles (Samovar
158). She interrupts her son trying to escape the villains and continues talking regardless
of what he son says. The advertisement states, If youre a mom you call at the worst
times. Its what you do (Spy). This is funny because for a large portion of families this is
true. Both the son and the mother match the ideal assumption of gender roles and gender
identity.
This is an important year in America because it is a presidential election year. Bud
Light created the best advertisement for the 2016 Super Bowl that related to the
presidential election and tries to show Americas national character. The advertisement
starts well-known comedians, Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer, to appear as the head the
Bud Light Party. It is humorous and shows how Americans are connected through beer.

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They are seen as trying to rally America together and make them unified. The definition
of national character is
members of a nation despite ethnic, racial, religious, or individual differences among
them, do resemble one another in certain fundamental matters of beliefs and conduct,
more than they resemble members of other nations (Samovar 160).
The advertisements end with America has seen the light. And there is a Bud in front of
it (The Bud Light Party). In this advertisement they make it clear that America is united
regardless of differences. It is a great, funny, example of national character.
Some say the family is the nucleus of civilization (Samovar 61). Hyundai
released the last advertisement in 2016 for the Super Bowl. This advertisement shows
family dynamic in some American homes. This advertisement stars the famous comedian
Kevin Hart. He plays an over protective father that follows his daughter on her first date
with a young man that seems rude. Hart offers the couple is new car for the evening.
What they do not know is that the car has Car Finder that can be tracked by a cell phone
or apple watch. Hart continues to follow the couple on their date until the boy brings his
daughter home. This advertisement shows that a father is the man of the house and needs
to protect his daughter no matter what. For everyone culture exist to serve vital,
practical, requirements of human life (Samovar 24). For Americans it is important for
one to protect their family Every family is different and deals with situations differently,
but in America many families can relate to this advertisement.
Intercultural communication is something that people face in everyday life. It can
be seen in all types of technology, like television advertisements. Each advertisement that
was analyzed used humor to capture the viewers attention. All advertisements are

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different and posses different aspects of intercultural communication like globalization,
stereotypes, gender identity and gender roles, national character, and family.

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Reference
"Bigger Than... | 2016 Taco Bell Quesalupa Big Game Commercial." YouTube.
YouTube, 7 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cGZbHYSrR60>.
"The Bud Light Party: Super Bowl Commercial 2016." YouTube. YouTube, 3 Feb. 2016.
Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohgwbpQuy8>.
"First Date Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial | The 2016 Hyundai Genesis."
YouTube. YouTube, 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_483zeVF8>.
Samovar, Larry A., Richard E. Porter, and Edwin R. McDaniel. Communication between
Cultures. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2010. Print.
"Spy: It's What You Do - GEICO." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 15 Feb.
2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOxyXP74DTU>.
"T-Mobile | "Drop The Balls" Super Bowl Ad | :30s TV Commercial." YouTube.
YouTube, 7 Feb. 2016. Web. 15 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=eI8YZdejPKg>.