I chose to look at an advert for Resident Evil 6 (2012) and ‘Different Class’ by Pulp (1995).
Resident Evil is one of the largest video game franchises, and there was no disappointment when in October 2012, Resident Evil 6 was released. The longest and most detailed game the franchise has seen, was brought to commercialisation with this advert.
The advert shows clips from the game, and for the time of release, the graphics were visually appealing to audiences. The advert begins with the most recognisable Resident Evil character – Leon Kennedy – which immediately gives a sense of familiarity and even safety. Some of the most intense gameplay and cutaways from the game are
shown to entice the viewer and the constant action keeps them watching. The advert was part of an ad campaign ‘No hope left’. A website was created using the logo of the game found in different parts of the world, and adverts were released through cinema, television and social media. To the side are examples of the ‘No hope left’ campaign.
The advertisement fulfils aesthetic needs, maybe not in a particularly pleasing way. The game is supposed to be dramatic and emphasise on the horrifying aspects of a zombie apocalypse and takes an inside look on all 7 characters within the game. This especially appeals to those who are fans of the previous games and the storyline following them. However, it is not only this specific audience of those who are already fans that are targeted – anyone just looking for a new enticing horror game to play will likely be fascinated by the game. The game also gives a virtual experience of fulfilling the need to survive and can make it so much more intense as this is first in our hierarchy of needs.
The game appeals to the explorer looking to discover new things. The game was considered a failure due to underperformance, but this does not mean there were not people who found interest in it – and especially someone like an explorer looking for indulgence, this could satisfy their needs. The only other possible one of Young and Rubicam’s 4C’s I can see the game fitting into is the reformer – to be enlightened by a game that was not particularly successful and now is no longer new, but still fulfils their authentic needs and simply just entertains them.
The game also appeals to those looking for dreams and fantasy, as many other games do - it portrays an unrealistic scenario and allows the player to experience it. The game is also very well made visually as are all the others in the franchise, showing glamorous places and nature and the natural world. The game was originally made in Japan and gives people access to different cultures and exploring things from different countries, and being able to appreciate them.
Resident Evil 6 follows a storyline and appeals sometimes with comedy and humour, other times with danger and intensity. The game also goes in hand with some of the basic appeals as brought forward by Jib Fowles - need to aggress being one of them. The game is particularly violent and a lot of the lore in it revolves around getting even. It also fulfills aesthetic sensations as I mentioned with its creative and enhancing storyline and gameplay.
Pulp, forming in 1978 with lead singer Jarvis Cocker, were placed inside the square of the 4 greatest Britpop bands to come out of the era. The height of their musical career came with their album‘Different class’(1995) featuring their most well-known songs such as ‘Common people’, ‘Sorted for E’s and Whizz’, and ‘Disco 2000.’ The album largely targeted lower- and working-class citizens, making the album relatable and enjoyable – it gave an inside perspective of the struggles of the average citizen. Below is the album cover.
'Different Class' began to reach mainstream audiences, charting number one and winning the 1996 Mercury award. The main target audience was the lower-class citizens who could relate to this song, but also people as a whole to address the problem of capitalism. The album has a similar feel to ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ by The Verve, another Britpop band who released this song just 2 years after Pulp’s album – we work till we die and what do we have to show for it? This is a message that especially reigns true now with the cost-of-living crisis. The album was enjoyable and relatable for people at the time, and still is.
The album fulfils a belongingness – we are in this together with everyone else stuck in this capitalistic nightmare. It gives a sense of security and understanding that we are not alone, and even bands of major success are protesting this idea we are supposed to accept our whole lives. The audience in terms of Young and Rubicam’s 4C’s is a wide variety – on one side, this appeals to the reformer. It is an enlightening piece of artwork, that helps us to better understand ourselves and others. However, this could also still appeal to the mainstream – it was an album of major success at the time. In a sense, the album ideology could also represent the struggler – a need for escape from the state of the world and an understanding of how they feel. The song 'Common People' is the best representation of the meaning behind the album - the working class works so hard for not much back, while rich people will never understand this and will always have their money to turn to whenever there is aproblem. It tackles nepotism - people being born into families of wealth and not even beginning to understand what being a 'normal' human being is like. Not being able to relate to the struggles of having to choose between heat and food.
It appeals in many ways to an audience, and reminds us that we still have self-importance and should have pride for all the work we still put in every day. There is also a sense of nostalgia in the album - everything is not as it was when we were children. We have dreams and fantasies of getting away from the typical 9 to 5, and we all want to belong. We look on at elite people with successful careers and it is a reminder that many people will not lead that life.
The album also follows the needs of some of the basic appeals. We all have the need to achieve and to accomplish something, and the album is ironic in the way it talks of the struggles of a normal citizen and then the album had raging success for the band. We also have a need for affiliation - we live in a capitalistic society the same way everyone does because speaking out breaks the norm of what everyone else is following. We have a need for escape yet still attempt to fit in with everyone else, and the album confirms these feelings but also shows that we are not alone in this view.
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