Firstly, I have chosen this 2011 Minecraft advertisement — the first of its kind. Massing up to 157 million views with a like to dislike ratio of 75:1, this was the momentous introduction and first glimpse we got to what would later become the World’s best selling video game of all time. Initially a one-man production on behalf of Markus “Notch” Persson, the sandbox game was not all too big of a hit during it’s initial release in 2009. I believe the inceptive aim of Minecraft was to appeal to a much more refined audience - perhaps Explorers, whose desire to discover and encounter new ideas would be fulfilled upon playing or the struggler, whose want to escape can be achieved through Minecraft’s Creative and Peaceful game modes. However, it wasn’t until 2011 with the assistance of Jens “Jeb” Bergensten that the game took afoot - leaps in fact. Many people attribute their childhoods to Minecraft with me alongside them. Some never grew out, some lost interest but that appeal of nostalgia is absolutely there. Due to it’s 10+ rating and educational factors, I’d say Minecraft’s target audience would be around 12-13 years old (though this is interestingly betrayed by the fact that the average Minecraft player is a 24-year old male). In more recent days, I would argue and say it is unarguably the Mainstreamer’s go-to. Everybody has given it a go at least once through curiosity or to be apart of the crowd and if not, has absolutely heard of it.
For my second choice, I decided on this 2013 John Lewis advertisement titled ‘The Bear and the Hare.’
For me personally, it’s one of those special adverts that you don’t seem to be able to completely shake off — I remember it quite distinctively regardless of the fact that this is the first time I’ve watched it since Christmas that year. I automatically think of this when it nears December, and for that reason alone, I think it definitely has the appeal of nostalgia. Many people in the comments of the advert seem to mention this a lot too, clearly expressive of how impactful it has been on them. Lily Allen’s rendition of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” is sweet and somber, matching the emotional tone of the advert and is also applicable to the actual events of the animation. The sole use of animals in the Bear and the Hare is enough to evoke the need to nurture — the heartwarming tale of friendship between them relating to the overarching key message being that Christmas is a time of unity, togetherness and putting aside differences. Though I think this wouldn’t be uncommon for the Explorer to hop on and enjoy due to how it betrays the formulaic sense of festivity, creating an emotional tale of friendship between apex predator and prey in animation form, John Lewis are known to go all out in terms of the production of their Christmas advertisements with some even anticipating them come December. For this reason, I believe the Mainstreamer would most likely appeal most, with the overall target audience being anybody and everybody.
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