Advertising Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf4QmIIOQEA (unable to embed)

"Dex Knows" commercials are based on the very simple fact that people want to know where to go for the things they want. Starting as a simple phonebook, Dex has now become as accessible as Twitter and Facebook, developing apps for the most prominent data phones. The intended audience in this commercial seems to be the stereotypically busy middle-class white family. This commercial makes Dex seem relevant to everyone in the family, kids and adults. The copies of the Dex character give information to different members of the family that seem more relevant based on stereotypical gender roles - letting the mom know there is a "laser light show" and telling the dad the bowling center is only "two miles away." By using the copies, Dex was able to make the point that you can find the same information in the Dex directory, whether it be in the phone book, online, or now via an "app" on your phone. Analyzing other Dex commercials reveal a very white, middle-class target audience. Dex, himself, is a man who represents the stereotypical white, middle-age, business man - wearing khaki dress pants, a button up shirt, and a tie. Overall, Dex seems to be targeting a very limited audience that has a high-level of access to the internet and has become hooked on the immediate gratification of finding exactly the information they need, when they need it.

My Created Spoof Ad:
After all of this analysis, I started to think how funny it would be if at the bottom of every commercial on TV there was a running banner that explained the bias, influenced, and implied assumptions in the ad. As a result, I thought of the What I Really Meant (WIRM) detector that a person could just point at the television or a person and the screen would reveal the "what I really meant" factor behind any message. Below is my ad: