Diction of 1960 Cocoa puff commercial

The word choice implemented in this commercial is very clever. The most memorable and important part of this commercial is the phrase "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs". The repetition of this phrase by the Cuckoo bird engraves the idea of how awesome cocoa puffs are in the viewers head. The narrator pulls the viewer in when he starts off the commercial saying "young friends". The audience is young children of ages 5-12, and when children hear a calm, friendly voice, it gives them comfort. This friendly remark is a great way to start a commercial intended for a young audience. The commercial goes on using words like "delicious", "luscious", and "Hershey chocolate". Although simple, these words both establish ethos, like I described in my last post, and make Cocoa puffs seem extremely desirable. The importance of diction in this advertisement is revealed between these two commercials. "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs", the catch phrase used by the Cuckoo bird in 1960, is stilled used in 2013. A span of over 50 years went by and this phrase has continued to thrive and prove its importance in advertisements. I know when I see or hear about Cocoa puffs, I think of the phrase "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs". This makes me think of how crazy the Cuckoo bird was because of the delicious cereal. Not many cereals have a catchy and long-lasting catch phrase. The history of using the same phrase in Cocoa Puff advertisements proves how essential word choice is.

Style of 1960's Cocoa Puffs Commercial

This 1960's Cocoa Puffs cereal commercial is directed towards a specific audience: children.  The makers of this commercial were very much aware of the interests of young boys and girls and, thus, created it to appeal to their senses.  The manner in which it appeals to children is through its use of style.  One particular style seen throughout the commercial is diction.  The narrator uses words that are simple, fun, and easy for children to understand, such as "wanna have some fun?"  What child would say no to this question?  Another significant aspect of style incorporated in this commercial is the tone of the narrator and cuckoo bird.  The narrator's tone is very informative.  He is informing an audience who is very young and impressionable.  Children are very easily influenced.  Chances are, most children who watched this commercial actually believed the idea that if they did not have these delicious Cocoa Puffs, they would go crazy.  Furthermore, the tone of Sonny the Cuckoo bird is psychotic.  Children will see this behavior and believe it is okay to behave in such a manner.  Not only does it send a message to children, but to parents as well.  It is almost as if the commercial is threatening parents to buy Cocoa Puffs cereal for their children.  If parents want their children to be happy and sane, then they must provide this cereal for them.

-Therese Renzi

Sense of Humor: 2013 Cocoa Puffs Commercial

Previously, I had mentioned that there is humor present in this commercial, but I was made aware that I did not go into detail about it. Children, especially around the ages 5-12 years old, find it humorous to do what we call "silly stuff," which is essentially being hyperactive and loud; everything Sonny the Cuckoo Bird is doing. Throughout the commercial, as Sonny destroys the lab and floods it with chocolate, he does so with a big smile or grin on his face thus making it seem to children that this is funny and it's okay because at the end the scientists who were observing just looked at each other expressionless, and there wasn't any type of consequence. Since it's known that the audience targeted copies everything they see because they're at such a vulnerable age, they will most likely begin acting this way towards their parents because in their mind it's funny. 

Color choice: 2013 Cocoa Puffs commercial

In the 2013 commercial the main two colors that stick out throughout the advertisement are the brown of the chocolate and the orange of the bird. The background is mainly different shades of white and gray, which helps to emphasize on the bird and the cereal. This makes it fairly easy for the young audience of the commercial to pick out what is important and what to look at for. There are also bright red letters that pop up and keep flashing that say "in progress". This helps to draw the viewers attention to a "live" experiment that is taking place. The overall use of the colors is to allow the main parts of the commercial to stand out, which would be the bird, the cereal, and the experiment. These three aspects of the commercial need to be focused on in order to make the advertisement successful, which is why the viewer's attention is supposed to be drawn towards them.